


MiracuL0US:S0UL

by Mishirure



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged up characters, And Now For Something Completely Different, Androids, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Character Revival, Creative License, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Gabriel why are you awful, Happy Ending, Love Triangles, Master Fu as a doctor, Minor Character Death, No superheroes, Nooroo as a scientist, Obsession, Plagg as a cat - Freeform, Romance, Sad with a Happy Ending, Sci-Fi AU, Slow Burn, Tikki as a cat, Wayzz as a doctor, complete misunderstanding of medical practices, complete misunderstanding of military and SWAT teams, inspired by another fic, jumping around time periods a little bit, just plain old emotional, lots of military shenanigans, mental health, miraculous as a technology, more science, no magic, parental neglect, rated for violence and blood, sci-fi tropes, sci-fi tropes everywhere, super slow, there may be tears
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-04-20 11:11:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 36,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14259702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mishirure/pseuds/Mishirure
Summary: "Hello?” She called tentatively. She heard a sharp intake of breath and the scrambling of a body suddenly jumping up from the ground. She startled, taking a step back with a yelp, but then paused. Standing in front of her was a boy about her age with golden hair and the most mesmerizing green eyes she’d ever seen. While he had initially looked defensive, his face set into a snarl, his expression relaxed as he appraised her with a look of... shock? Surprise? Recognition?Time seemed to stand still as they stared at each other. She gazed at him in all his ethereal beauty, his eyes boring into her very soul as if he could see into her core. A twinge of recognition was nagging at the back of her mind. She felt like she’d met him once, a long time ago. Where had she seen him before?“Princess...” he breathed, so softly that she wasn't sure if she'd actually heard it.And then he collapsed to the ground.Inspired by: - SOULTECH - written by Piggy Ho Ho





	1. - Lost S0UL -

**Author's Note:**

> Consider the chapter a kind of... trailer haha! I'm... peaking interest before I write the majority of the fic in one go and then edit as I need to.
> 
> Please enjoy, loves!

Silence…

 _Despite the noise he knew was blaring around him, the flashing lights, the people rushing past him, all he could hear was silence, pressing in on him from every which way. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, as if he were on a different plane of existence looking in; gurneys being pushed by nurses, paramedics running down the hallways… He was numbly aware of a doctor speaking to him, could see his mouth moving, saying words, but he couldn’t hear the sound. Or maybe he had? He couldn't remember..._  

_He was numb._

  
“Sir?” 

_  
When had he gone numb? Why couldn’t he feel his limbs?_  

  
“Sir?” 

_  
His mind seemed to restart as he realized someone was addressing him, rewinding itself to a few minutes prior. Or was it seconds? He couldn’t tell anymore. What was time now that it seemed to stop? How long had he even been standing there?_   

_  
“Sir?” The doctor repeated for the third time. “I know this is very difficult to process-"_

_  
“I think...” he found himself saying. He swallowed thickly; his throat was dry. “I think I... need to sit down...”_

_Somehow he found himself in a chair lined up against a crisp white wall. Everything suddenly seemed so_ loud _, so_ bright _. He was suddenly hyper aware of everything; the sirens in the distance, the voices of the people around him, their movements and actions… it all seemed to be going so fast, as if someone hit the fast forward button. It knocked the wind out of him._

_“If you’d like,” the doctor continued, his voice a perfectly practiced level of calm. “I can contact a grief councillor for you at your earliest convenience. They can help you to get through this tragedy, and hopefully, you’ll be able to move on.”_

_“Move on?” He suddenly felt very hot. His heart was pounding in his ears. His chest felt tight. “You’ve just informed me that my wife and child are dead. You think I can move on from this?”_

_He hadn’t realized he’d yelled until the chattering in the room he was in stopped. When had he gotten to his feet? He suddenly registered where he was; a hospital, surrounded by doctors and nurses after an accident... He was breathing heavily as the weight of his words began to sink in, registering what they meant. And just like that, he suddenly felt the heat drain out of him as if he’d just been plunged into a vat of ice water._

_“My wife and child are dead,” he repeated, more to himself. His hands were shaking. His eyes suddenly burned, his vision was blurry. Why couldn’t he breathe? He realized he was crying. The sharp gasps he was trying to take ripped out of his throat in sobs, and he couldn’t stand anymore. He sank back into the chair, his hands covering his face as he suddenly wailed in anguish._

_They were gone._

_His whole life, his world._

_They were gone..._

_“I’ll send someone to see you shortly; we have some of the best psychiatric doctors on staff.” The doctor turned to go, but paused as he said, “I’m deeply sorry for your loss, Sir.”_

_He didn’t hear the doctor. All he could hear was the sound of his own pain, all he could feel was his soul being ripped to pieces with the heartbreak of reality. It consumed him._

_And suddenly he found himself not crying anymore. He was still seated in his chair, the world around him dark and quiet with only a few nurses passing him here and there. His throat was raw. The pain burned in his chest, but he latched onto it; he could feel nothing else. Could think of nothing else... nothing else but two pairs of eyes, so strikingly similar..._

_He was numbly aware of a stick tapping on the tiled floors, a persistent rhythm. It gradually grew louder, and he realized it was coming towards him._

_“Excuse me,” an elderly man said, a hint of an accent present in his voice. “Mr. Gabriel Agreste, is it?”_

_Was that his name? It seemed familiar... he supposed it was._

_“Yes?” He rasped, his voice raw. “What do you want?”_

_“I heard about the unfortunate events that transpired today, and I would like to give you my condolences—“_

“Condolences," _Gabriel scoffed. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t give a damn about your condolences... Condolences won’t bring my wife and son back.”_

_“No... I suppose they won’t,” the elderly man conceded lightly. “But what if_ I _could?”_

_“What?” Gabriel lifted his head. He took in the sight of the man before him; short in stature, with graying, receding black hair and dark brown almond-shaped eyes that had undoubtedly seen many wisdoms. He looked unassuming, harmless even; but he held a strange commanding presence that Gabriel wasn’t used to witnessing in others._

_“What if I told you, Mr. Agreste, that I developed a technology that I believe could be used to bring people back from the dead?” The man said. “That someone who had met an untimely end could have another chance at life?”_

_Gabriel simply stared at the man. He took in his features, reading his expression that was set into a relaxed but knowing smile, his dark eyes unwavering. He took in everything from his cleanly pressed suit, his polished shoes, and his hand-carved walking stick that was clearly very old. For some reason he felt as if he’d seen this man before, but he couldn’t place him..._

_“_ Who are you _?” Gabriel asked in a low voice. The man simply smiled and pulled a business card from his pocket, handing it over to Gabriel._

_“Mr. Agreste, my name is Dr. Wang Fu,” he said as Gabriel noted the white butterfly logo. “And together, I believe we could do something..._ **miraculous** _.”_


	2. - Pure S0UL -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marinette, Alya and Nino are reminded of the tragedy that struck in their city five years ago...

Marinette Dupain-Cheng enjoyed many things in life; soft pillows, her father’s macaroons, the smell of her mother’s perfume, and the sound of her pencil sketching across her notebook, to name a few. Despite her many simple pleasures, however, few things were as sweet as catching up with friends while enjoying an ice cream in the middle of a warm summer afternoon. Nino Lahiffe had just returned from a month-long trip abroad to see the rest of Europe with some guy friends, and Alya Césaire had been spending time with her family that had come in for Haiti; it was the first time they were all seeing each other in close to six weeks, and they planned on making the best of the remainder of their summer vacation before they were due to return to university in the fall. 

Marinette was dressed for the weather; a breezy white sundress, pink flats, her usual little cross-body bag, and her blue-black hair pulled back into a loose bun. It was a pleasant, breezy July afternoon, and she laughed along with Alya as Nino told them an elaborate tale of his (mis) adventures in Amsterdam and getting dragged into a kink club. Gently sliding a rogue hair behind her ear, she leaned in to take a mouthful of mint chocolate chip ice cream, relishing in the cool sweetness that coated her mouth. 

“Are you sure you aren’t making this up, Nino?” Alya said teasingly, poking her boyfriend lightly in the ribs. She looked stylish with her curly hair pulled back into a ponytail, her usual plaid worn open over a white t-shirt and cutoff jean shorts with sandals.

“Listen, Amsterdam and their fetish houses are no joke,” Nino said seriously. He was dressed casually in his typical blue graphic T, cargo shorts, black converse and his ever-present baseball cap. “They say Paris is pretty chill about a lot of stuff, but man... no one has anything on Amsterdam.”

“What _were_  you doing at a kink club, anyway?” Alya wondered idly, fixing her boyfriend with a scrutinizing stare.

“Hey, my hands are clean of this,” Nino said, holding up his hands defensively. “It was all Kim’s idea, man; he got a little high and a lot drunk and decided it would be a good idea. Me, being the _stellar friend_ that I am, wanted to make sure he was okay.” 

“ _Right_ ,” Alaya said in mock disbelief, but she laughed anyway. 

“We’ll have to take your word for it,” Marinette said airily, mouth closing around another spoonful of ice cream with a chuckle. “So aside from the... ‘ _sexcapades_ ’, how was the rest of your trip across fair Europe?”

“Oh man, _amazing_ ,” Nino gushed, leaning back in his seat wistfully. “I took some rad photos I can’t wait to show you guys. When are we getting together for another movie night? We need to do that before school starts up again, and I can show you the whole slideshow.” 

“I’m working at my magazine internship for the next little bit,” Alya frowned, pulling out her phone to check her calendar.

“My parents are leaving for Italy in a week to visit my Nonna,” Marinette said, checking her own calendar. “I’m watching the bakery for them while they’re gone, but they made sure to announce limited vacation hours, so I should have my weekends free. Maybe we can do movie night next week at my place? I’m free that weekend.”

“Me, too,” Alya said. 

“So next weekend?” Nino asked.

“Next weekend,” Alya confirmed. She fixed Nino with lidded eyes, a smirk playing on her lips. “Though I’d better see you before then; we have a lot of _catching up_ to do.”

Nino responded in kind by grabbing her hand and kissing the back of it with a wink. Marinette feigned gagging.

“Gross, you guys, get a room,” she laughed, throwing her napkin at Nino’s face. “You’ve only been apart for, what, a month?”

“Hey,” Alya said defensively. “A month is a long time to go without—“

“Alright, spare me,” Marinette said loudly, holding up a hand to stop her friend. “Lord knows I don’t need all the dirty details.”

“Speaking of _dirty details_ ,” Alya said impishly, a coy grin forming on her face. She leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. “How are things with you and Luka?”

“Luka?” Nino asked, glancing at Marinette.

“Couffaine,” Marinette supplied with a dreamy sigh, a light smile playing on her lips.  “Things are... actually going really well.”

“Juleka’s brother? When did you start dating him?” Nino demanded. “I know that guy, he was in my _History of Glam Rock_ class last fall. He’s pretty cool. Wouldn’t have pegged him as your type, though. Honestly thought he was gay...”

“Why does everyone think that?” Marinette said dubiously.

“The fact that he doesn’t seem like your type, or that I thought he was gay?” Nino asked.

“Both.”

“It’s the guyliner and black nail polish,” Alya shrugged, sucking on her ice cream spoon.

“Hey, those things are gender neutral,” Marinette said defensively. “I’d like to remind you that Jagged Stone wears guyliner and nail polish. And who says I have a type?”

Nino tilted his head to the side. “Point taken. Carry on.”

“What else do you want me to say?” Marinette said, digging at the rest of her ice cream. “He asked me out at the beginning of the second term, we’ve been going on dates over the last couple months... we haven’t really made it official, but I feel like it’s an unspoken agreement at this point, you know?”

“They’ve literally spent almost every waking minute together since you’ve been gone,” Alya told Nino.

“Not _every_ waking moment,” Marinette said. She paused and tilted her head to the side. “But I guess most of them…”

“Yeah, enough to blow me off that one weekend I had free from my family,” Alya said in mock offence, offering Marinette a wink.

“Invite him to hang out with us sometime!” Nino said, taking the bite of ice-cream that Alya offered him. 

“I will,” Marinette assured him with a smile. “He’s playing a music festival in London right now with his band, but he should be back by next weekend.”

“Cool,” Nino said. “I like him; it would be nice to not be a third wheel to _you two_ every time we hang out.”

“Third wheel to _us_?" Marinette laughed as Alya dramatically splayed herself across the table to reach for Marinette’s hand. "Right, Nino, whatever you say."

“Don’t listen to him, buttercup,” Alya said, hamming up the theatrics. “He’s just jealous because he doesn’t have what we have!”

“Alya, you’re going to make me spill ice-cream on my dress!” Marinette chuckled, swallowing her final mouthful.

“So where to now, ladies?” Nino said, stretching his arms above his head. “We’ve got the rest of the evening to kill; want to do something lame or awesome?”

Marinette and Alya exchanged glances.

“Awesomely lame?” Alya asked.

“Musée Grévin?” Marinette suggested.

“Hey, the Musée Grévin is a Parisian jewel!” Nino said.

“If by jewel you mean a tourist trap,” Alya said, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

“But an _awesomely lame_ tourist trap,” Marinette said fondly, falling into step with her friends as they converged onto the sidewalk.

They chatted amicably as they made their way through the streets of Paris, enjoying the warm day and the liveliness of their city. Despite having lived there all of her life, Marinette thought Paris was _magical_ , and probably always would. It was a city of wonder, where the unexpected could happen; whether it be falling into a fairytale romance or starting up an incredible career, Paris held the secret promise of possibility.

As they made their way closer to the Grands Boulevards, Marinette took note of the stands that were set up along the street; pedlars selling knock-off designer sunglasses and bags to tourists, a couple of food stalls, magazine stands, and newspaper stands. It was a particular newspaper stand that caught Marinette’s attention, stopping her in her tracks as she noticed a familiar person standing in front of it. She stopped Alya and Nino by grabbing hold of their arms and gesturing to the young woman with blonde hair dressed in yellow.

“Isn’t that Chloé ?” She kept her voice low, worried Chloé would hear them. Even though she hadn’t see Chloé Bourgeois for the better part of a year since they started university, she still wasn’t keen on speaking to her childhood enemy.

“Yeah,” Alya said, glancing across the street to see if there was a clear path to avoid her. “We can probably get by unseen if we cut this way—”

“Wait,” Marinette said, cutting Alya off. She squinted, trying to get a better look at Chloé before her brows shot up. “I think… I think she’s _crying_?”

Sure enough, Chloé Bourgeois was silently allowing tears to fall down her cheeks as she read the front page of the newspaper in her hands. Marinette was floored; Chloé didn’t often show emotion, at least not genuine emotion like that. If anything, she usually played it off as anger or indifference, but she always took care to never let anyone see what she was actually feeling. And now here she was, crying freely in the middle of a public square. Marinette had taken care not to see her since they graduated from lycée, but she didn’t think that was part of Chloé’s usual character. Despite the years of torment she’d suffered at Chloé’s hands, Marinette couldn’t help but feel a twinge of empathy for her.

After a moment, Chloé closed the paper and forcefully put it back on the stand before grabbing a handkerchief from her purse and dabbing at her eyes as she hurried away down the street, away from them. Alya and Nino exchanged dubious glanced at each other, but Marinette was curious; she made her way over to the newspaper stand, picking up the same paper that Chloe had held previously and reading the headline:

 

**“FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY:  
NOTED FASHION HOUSE CLOSES AFTER FAMILY TRAGEDY”**

 

The title of the article made her frown, and without thinking about it, she straightened out the page and spotted the black and white family photo printed within the column. Her eyes travelled over their faces, most notably the face of Gabriel Agreste, the founder of said closed fashion house. It was strange to see him looking so happy when the knowledge of what the man had suffered was known all throughout the city.

 “Marinette?” Alya called, coming to meet up with her.

“It’s the five year anniversary coming up,” Marinette said, showing her the paper. Alya read the headline and frowned as Nino came up behind her. He was about to say something until saw the image, his face falling.

“Man… no wonder Chloé was so sad,” he said. “I still remember that day; we were at Kim’s birthday party before school started up again when the news broke out.”

Marinette looked at the other two people in the photo; a beautiful woman with stunning eyes, her hair pulled over her shoulder. Sitting between her and Gabriel Agreste was a young boy, about 15 years old with glittering eyes that matched his mother’s. It was a happy family portrait tainted with a bad memory. Marinette could almost feel the lingering ghosts.

“I remember Chloé losing her mind,” Nino continued sadly. “I guess that kid was her friend from childhood.”

“Wasn’t he supposed to start school with us that year?” Alya asked. 

“Yeah,” Nino said, forlorn. “People can be so shitty… I guess he and his mom were out shopping when they were mugged by some guy; he shot them both.”  

Marinette’s heart clenched as she heard Nino’s words, still looking at the photo. She had known there had been a serious accident, and she knew Chloé was out if school for a few weeks when they first started the new year, but she had not known details. Who could do something like that? Who could so easily choose to take the lives of a mother and her son so lightly? He was only a child… Marinette wondered idly what this young man would have grown up to be like if he had been given the chance to live the rest of his life as he should have.

“I wish we could have gotten a chance to meet him,” Marinette said, folding up the paper and putting it back on the stand. “I bet he would have been nice.” 

They left the stand, a little sadder than they were before as they thought about the tragedy that had befallen the Agreste household. As their conversation gradually drifted to other topics to try and lighten their moods, the thought of the five year anniversary moved to the backs of their minds, and they focused the rest of their day enjoying the wonders their city had to offer.

 

* * *

**— 01101110 - 01100101 - 01111000 - 01110100 —**

* * *

 

 “We’re home!” Marinette called to her parents in the bakery as she and Alya entered the apartment.

 “Hi Mr. Dupain,” Alya called. “Hi, Ms. Cheng!” 

“Hi, girls!” Tom called jovially from the kitchen. “Go on up! Sabine and I are just finishing in here! There are some snacks on the counter!”

“Score!” Alya shouted, hurrying passed Marinette to the apartment and chucking off her shoes as if she lived there. Marinette laughed as she followed her. 

“Eager, are we?” Marinette chuckled as she closed the apartment door behind her.

“For your dad’s cookies?” Alya asked, leaning against the counter and taking a huge bite out of a piece of chocolate chip heaven. “I don’t know _what_ you’re talking about.”

“Well let me at least be a good host and get you some milk to go with that,” Marinette said, dropping her bag on the counter and moving over to the cupboard to get a few glasses. “Even though you practically live here.”

“Basically,” Alya said, helping herself to the milk from the fridge and handing it to Marinette. “I don’t know why you bother to ‘ _host_ ’ me at all anymore.” 

At the sound of the milk pouring into the glass, a soft meow could be heard from the stairs that led up to Marinette’s loft bedroom, and the gentle padding of feet made their way down the steps before a tiny ginger cat with a fluffy bobtail and bright blue, kitten-like eyes wandered into the kitchen. It gave a gentle mew at Marinette, winding its way around her legs before Marinette scooped it up. 

“Hi, Tikki,” she cooed at the cat, giving it a kiss on the nose. Tikki the cat chirped happily and bunted Marinette on the cheek before squirming to be let down to greet Alya. “Want some milk?”

“How old is she again?” Alya asked, bending down to give Tikki a scratch behind the ears. 

“I’m not really sure, honestly,” Marinette said, stooping to put a shallow bowl of milk down for Tikki, who trotted over to it eagerly. “We’ve had her for at least three years, but she was owned by an old acquaintance of my grandmother’s before. I think she was three when we got her.” 

“It’s weird how much she still looks like a kitten,” Alya noted, snagging another cookie. 

“I’m not complaining,” Marinette laughed. “She’s adorable that way; besides, she has an old soul. I’m just thankful she likes to cuddle and doesn’t wake me up at night.”

Their conversation dissolved into other topics until Tom and Sabine came up from the bakery to help with dinner. Alya was, naturally, staying over for the night since it was the first night the girls had seen each other in weeks, and after they helped her parents with the dishes, Marinette and Alya made their way up to Marinette’s bedroom to play some video games, Tikki curled up snugly between them.

The thought of Chloé and the newspaper were both blissfully gone from their minds as they talked into the night.

 

* * *

**— 01101110 - 01100101 - 01111000 - 01110100 —**

* * *

 

_**\- system diagnostic: ... commencing -** _

   
It was bright...

Nothing but whiteness surrounded him...

 

_**\- diagnostic at: ... 20% -** _

 

He felt so sleepy... 

... sleepy, but... he felt like there was something he needed to do... 

What should he have been doing?

 

_**\- system vitals: ... stable -** _

 

A faint echo of laughter reached his ears; far away, just beyond his memory... it sounded like music.

Sweet and light and warm...

 

_**\- diagnostic at: ... 24.1% -** _

 

‘ _I want... to hear it again.._.’ he thought as he slowly slipped back into darkness...

 

_**\- system reboot: ... standing by -**_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know cats are lactose intolerant.
> 
> No, I don't believe people should give cats milk.
> 
> Yes, I'm aware that it can cause digestive issues in felines.
> 
> No, I don't give my own cats milk.
> 
> Purely narrative purposes.
> 
> Also, that's legit binary. It reads 'next'. Fun fact.
> 
> Show some love! Make my sleepless nights worth it!
> 
> Please, I beg you. I just need constant reassurance.


	3. - Brilliant S0UL -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Dr. Fu does something miraculous...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What even IS science, anyway?

  
_“Mr. Agreste?”_

_Gabriel looked up from his hands, discovering that he had been wringing them together for quite some time. Addressing him was a man who appeared to be in his late thirties, but he had an old soul about him. He was dressed in a lab-coat over a white button-up shirt and a pair of black slacks. He was rather unassuming in appearance with short, mousy hair and green eyes, but like Dr. Wu, he had a strange sort of presence about him._

_“Yes?” Gabriel replied, realizing how dry his mouth was. He swallowed thickly as he got to his feet._

_“My name is Dr. Martial Wayzz,” the man said, extending a hand towards Gabriel. “I’m one of the senior doctors working under Dr. Fu.”_

_“Dr. Wayzz,” Gabriel said, shaking Wayzz’s hand. “I believe Dr. Fu mentioned you.”_

_“I was the one leading the procedure on your son,” Wayzz continued._

_“Ah, yes,” Gabriel suddenly felt nervous. “I… uh… that is… how did it go?”_

_Wayzz smiled and gestured for Gabriel to walk passed him into a room that stood just out of reach beyond a pair of large doors._

_“Why don’t you come see for yourself?”_

_Gabriel swallowed thickly, willing his hands to stop shaking as he straightened his tie and marched into the room. He was unsure what he would find, but… he found he was feeling hopeful; a first, since this terrible nightmare started._

_The room was large and bright, housed in a extensive glass-front building nestled on the outskirts of the city. Gabriel knew it was some kind of hospital - or was it more of a lab? - but it didn’t have the same feeling to it. Despite its pristine cleanliness and white, industrial design, the place felt rather… welcoming, like the promise of hope was built into the very foundation. The room he had just entered was no different; clean and minimalistic with a whole wall made of windows that gave a beautiful view of a stunning botanical garden and allowed the sun to stream in. A gurney with the back raised up in a reclining position faced the windows, and standing next to it was Dr. Fu, marking something down on the clipboard in his hands. The only sounds were the scratching of pen on paper, the faint beeping of the heart monitor set up next to the gurney, and the gentle gasps of artificial breathing, as if someone were hooked up to an oxygen mask. Gabriel swallowed thickly at the sound of the heart monitor, his own heart in his throat. Was that—?_

_“Ah, Mr. Agreste,” Dr. Fu said with a warm smile. “Come in; I believe you might like to say hello to your son.”_

_On shaking legs, Gabriel crossed the room, until he reached the gurney. Dr. Fu stepped aside as Gabriel tentatively assumed a place next to it, looking down at the form that lay there._ _He was hooked up to all manner of medical equipment; IV’s in his arms for fluids and blood transfusions, an oxygen mask on his face, and sensors stuck to his chest to monitor the heartbeat that was,_ miraculously _, beating at a steady, relaxed pace. Gabriel had to remind himself to breathe as he took in his son, noting the flush in his cheeks, the sunlight that gleamed in his golden hair, and rise and fall of his chest_ as he breathed. _He was_ breathing. _He was looking out at the world with heavy-lidded eyes, but his eyes were open nonetheless, and Gabriel swore he saw his son blink sleepily._

_“Feel free to reach out to him,” Dr. Fu said, back to scribbling on his clipboard. “He can feel touch.”_

_Gabriel looked down at his son’s hand, resting on the bed next to him. Hesitantly, he reached out and enveloped the smaller hand in his own, noting the warmth and nearly sobbed when he felt the light twitch of fingers against his palm._

_“He’s alive,” Gabriel breathed._

_“He is,” Dr. Fu confirmed with a smile. Then he tilted his head to the side. “Mostly.”_

_“Mostly?” Gabriel managed to tear his eyes away from his son long enough to see Dr. Fu moving his way to the other side of the gurney to rest his clipboard on a small rolling stand._

_“His body is alive,” Dr. Fu explained. “With the help of life support, currently. What we’ve done is create a sort of… electrical cage around the heart and extend enhancers throughout the body, connecting it to the brain and down the spine to all the central nerve points. This cage will deliver just the right amount of energy to keep the heart beating on its own, allowing for natural blood flow to the vital organs and extremities. This will also spark brain synapses, thus allowing for a completely working central nervous system. Right now, his body is working perfectly; even better than, I’d say.”_

_“But?” Gabriel pressed._

_“_ But _, despite all of that, at this point, he is currently just a shell,” Dr. Fu said. “His brain is there, his mind is there, everything is there… except for a soul.”_

_“A soul?”_

_“When a person dies, their soul dies with them,” Dr. Fu explained. “Some people believe that souls are unquantifiable and unable to be mimicked or restored in any way, which is why any attempt to bring someone back after an untimely death has never been attempted. However, I discovered that our souls are_ actually _a product of our hearts; who we are at our core. It’s just a matter of… tapping into it.”_

_“And how exactly do you ‘tap into it’?” Gabriel asked._

_Dr. Fu smiled as if he’d been waiting for Gabriel to ask that question for a while now._

_“Dr. Nooroo,” he called to a slight man who had been typing away at a computer in the far corner of the room. He was so small and demure that Gabriel hadn’t even noticed him until he was coming over to them, carrying a small steel tray._

_“Mr. Agreste, this is Dr. Benjamin Nooroo,” Dr. Fu said. “He’s the lead technical scientist on this project.”_

_“Mr. Agreste,” Nooroo said softly, shaking Gabriel’s hand briefly. He was a shorter man with curly blonde hair and large eyes, dressed similarly to Dr. Wayzz from earlier._

_“Is everything all set, Nooroo?” Dr. Fu asked Kindly and he pulled on a pair of blue latex gloves._

_“As ready as it’ll ever be,” Nooroo replied, holding the tray to Dr. Fu. “It just needs installation.”_

_Dr. Fu picked up something small and flat from the surface of the tray, holding it between two fingers and examining it in the sunlight. It was a small square, about the size of a quarter, made of a vibrant green transparent plastic._

_“This is the technology that I developed, with the assistance of Dr. Nooroo,” Dr. Fu explained to Gabriel._

_“You developed the technology, sir,” Nooroo amended quickly. “I just developed how to house it.”_

_“Even so,” Dr. Fu continued. “This little chip is the key to restoring a soul, and couldn’t have been done without Nooroo’s brilliance.”_

_“What is it?” Gabriel asked._

_Dr. Fu reached over the prone form in the gurney to hand the chip to Gabriel, who gingerly stretched out his palm. The chip was light and felt almost like nothing, but Gabriel knew this little piece of plastic and technology was_ everything _. He held it up between two fingers like Dr. Fu, examining it in the light. He noted five connector pins, and a tiny electrical board that was visible through the hard plastic, but it was the logo on the chip that caught his attention. It was the world MiracuLOUS, but the ‘L’ and the ’S’ were mirrored, with the ‘O’ and the ‘U’ stylized to look similar._

_“Miraculous?” Gabriel read._

_“Turn it around,” Dr. Fu said with a smile._

_Gabriel did and suddenly understood the stylized text; with the transparent plastic, he could see the logo from the opposite side, noting that the ’S’ and ‘L’ were now the right way and that the ‘O’ and ‘U’ were designed the way they were so that it could be read properly from either way._

[[ Logo Design ]](http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y192/Mishi_Li/Screen%20Shot%202018-04-11%20at%2012.49.14%20PM.png)

_“Soul,” Gabriel said absently. He had to admit; it was an interesting design._

_“That’s what we’ve called it; Miraculous:Soul,” Dr. Fu explained. “MiracuSOUL, for short.”_

_Dr. Fu then reached out to the body on the gurney and gently braced his hand on the boy’s chest, carefully leaning him forward so as to show Gabriel what the next step was. Gabriel saw a bandage in the middle of his son’s back with a few very thin wires protruding from the medical tape that held down the strip of gauze. Attached to the wire was a small chip reader, just big enough to house the chip that still sat in Gabriel’s palm._

_“The chip fits into this connector here,”Dr. Fu said. “This chip sparks the heart, allowing it to beat on its own without the need of life support, and thus, reviving his soul. Once this is in place, your son will be fully alive again. We’ll need to do one more surgery to keep the chip inside his body, but we’re more or less finished.”_

_“Is that really it?” Gabriel asked, glancing down at the chip in his hand. “It seems too simple.”_

_“Believe me, Mr. Agreste, this hasn’t been a simple procedure,” Dr. Fu said with a wry chuckle as he gently rested the boy back against the gurney, minding his head. “I’ve been developing this technology for a very, very long time and have failed many times over the course of my research.”_

_“Have you ever had a success?” Gabriel asked._

_“I have. Two, in fact; one with marginally more success than the other, but both specimens are still alive and healthy and happy.” He chuckled to himself again. “Well... the first one is happy. The second is as happy as a grumpy old cat can be, anyway.”_

_“A cat?” Gabriel said flatly._

_“It’s always best to start small,” Dr. Fu said. “Assuming all goes well, and so far everything has, your son will be the first human success we’ve had. However, I don’t discredit those two small victories. It was with our first specimen that we were able to re-evaluate what we needed to do to make the second even more successful, and that one helped us learn even more about being able to help your son. However, I must warn you, there will be a few... side effects.”_

_“...What kind of side effects?” Gabriel asked after a pause._

_“For starters, there will be a significant enhancement in body function,” Dr. Fu said. “To what extent, we won’t know until he starts waking up and actually moving around._ _However, we’ve also found with both of our specimens that... initial memory tends to be an issue in the beginning. Particularly memories of life before the procedure.”_

_“What exactly are you insinuating, Doctor?” Gabriel asked, trying to keep his voice level. He was getting angry; why hadn’t Dr. Fu thought to mention this before now?_

_“He’ll have a hard time remembering what happened before now... and for the most part... you.” Dr. Fu said, clearly trying to think of a way to say this more tactfully. “However, in my personal experience, the memories always seem to click back into place after a time. I’ve yet to fully understand the reasoning for that, but it does happen; it’s just depends on how long. And of course you’ll be with him; we’ll keep him here while he recovers, and you’re welcome to stay, of course. He’ll begin to understand that you are a significant part of his life, which will help coax those memories back into place.”_

_Gabriel took a deep breath to calm himself down. So, it wasn’t a_ completely _lost cause... if this is what he had to endure to get his family back, so be it. The chance to go back to living a normal, happy life… He extended the hand holding the chip - his son’s lifeline - out to Dr. Fu._

_“Do it,” he said, his voice much softer than he intended._

_Dr. Fu smiled and took the chip from Gabriel’s hand. “Feel free to hold his hand, if you’d like; I’m sure having something for him to hold onto will be a comfort.”_

_“Will he feel any pain?” Gabriel asked._

_“No,” Dr. Fu said, gently rolling the boy into his side towards Gabriel so he could get at the chip reader. “It’s more like… being abruptly pulled out of a dream.”_

_Gabriel hesitated a moment before he tentatively grasped his son’s hand in his own. His heart was thundering in his ears, adrenaline suddenly coursing through him. This was really happening..._

_“It’s time to wake up, son,” Dr. Fu said softly._

_The chip gently slid into place with a satisfying click._

_Gabriel choked back a sob as the smaller hand suddenly gripped his tight, his son’s body giving a jerk as if he were trying to catch himself from falling. Gabriel could see his eyes fluttering open and closed, his hand slowly relaxing as a deep breath, almost like a sigh, escaped him. It was like he was waking up from nothing but a deep sleep, not death…_

_“You may call out to him,” Dr. Fu said softly, his just above a whisper._

_Gabriel glanced at him, understanding that it was a suggestion, and he swallowed thickly over a lump in his throat. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his wild heart as it pounded in his chest as he prepared himself for this defining moment._

“Adrien,” _Gabriel said softly._

_The boy’s eyes suddenly opened. Gabriel couldn’t hold back the sob that escaped him this time at the sight of his son’s eyes, so brilliantly green, looking back at him. A few weeks ago, he had seen his body, cold and lifeless, and now… he was here, his eyes bright (albeit sleepy) listening to the sound of his breath. Gabriel sank to his knees next to the gurney, clutching his son’s hand in both of his as he openly wept._

_“Adrien…” he breathed, noting that the boy’s eyes roamed his face. He reached out and smoothed his hand over his son’s hair, marvelling in the fact that he was_ alive, _and his son exhaled deeply again, his eyes drifting closed at the tender touch. “My son…”_

_Gabriel lifted his eyes just enough to meet the gaze of Dr. Fu, who was smiling proudly at the scene before him. Gabriel could only stare at him gratefully._

_“You truly have created something…. miraculous,” Gabriel said._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This just solidified how much I'm NOT a scientist. FFS.
> 
> So much happens in this chapter, and yet... nothing happens at all. What can I say? it's a gift.
> 
> We also got a fun name drop in this chapter, so that's cool!
> 
> Some notes on the 'first' names for Wayzz and Nooroo: I chose to use the first names of their voice actors. Wayzz actually has three separate actors in the French dub, so I chose the one that I thought sounded the best and settled on Martial, for Martial Le Minoux. Nooroo is also played by Le Minoux in the French dub, so I decided to go for Benjamin, for his English dub actor Ben Diskin.
> 
> I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Octolad for their undying love of Gabriel. You are welcome.
> 
> I swear I tried to make this at non-insestuous as possible...


	4. - Restless S0UL -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marinette feels restless and goes out with her friends...

“I need to do something,” Alya said simply as she took a bite out of her panini. “I feel like if I keep doing nothing but work, I’ll go crazy.”

“We ARE doing something,” Marinette said, stirring her straw around in her iced tea. She gave her friend a wry smile. “What am I, chopped liver? _And_ we have movie night next week. What’s the problem?”

“No, I mean I need to go OUT to do something,” Alya said, positively fidgeting in her seat. “Something fun. Not that movie night isn’t fun-“ she quickly amended when Marinette arched a brow in her direction. “- but I need to go, like... dancing, or something. We haven’t had a chance to just _party_ in forever.”

“Yeah, last time you dragged me out to party, it didn’t end well,” Marinette reminded her, sipping at her straw. “I basically had to babysit you and you were full of so much _Fight Me™_ that you kept threatening everyone who so much as looked at you the wrong way.”

“That frat boy deserved it,” Alya shot back. Marinette scoffed as she picked up her own sandwich and took a bite. “C’mon, Marinette! You can’t say you haven’t been feeling restless; all you’ve done since school ended is sketch designs and work at the bakery in between your calls with Luka and your lunches with me. We’re young and hot and deserve to be hit on by boys who don’t deserve us.”

Marinette chuckled. “You sure Nino would be okay with that?”

“Oh, please,” Alya said, taking a sip of her iced coffee. “If anything, it excites him that I choose to go home with him after some of those clowns try their hand. C’mon, can’t we go clubbing this weekend or something?”

“I don’t want another ‘ _Drunk Alya_ ’ incident on my hands,” Marinette raised her hands up defensively for emphasis. “That one night was enough for me, thank you; I love you dearly, but you are a handful when you’ve had too many, and frankly, you’re kind of scary”.”

“Fair,” Alya tilted her head from side to side. “So, it won’t be a drunk night… but we need to do _something._ You don’t want to look back and say that you did _nothing_ all summer, do you?”

Marinette chewed a piece of her sandwich thoughtfully as she mulled over Alya’s words. It was true, her first university summer hadn’t exactly been going the way she had hoped; she had been expecting late nights on the town with friends, art galleries, glimpses at underground fashion shows, concerts with Luka, movies in the park for a double date... so far, it had been dry and boring, with not much to write home about. She sighed. She knew Alya was right, as she usually was, but Marinette had learned not to admit that too often; it almost always went to Alya’s head.

“Fine,” she conceded, rolling her eyes but smiling fondly as Alya cheered. “What did you have in mind?”

“Oh man, _anything_ ,” Alya said, whipping her phone out and searching for some of the local events happening that weekend. She suddenly flailed a little excitedly and showed her phone to Marinette. “I was going to mention this! I saw this in an ad at work a few days ago!”

“A music festival?” Marinette asked, taking Alya’s phone to read the article that she’d pulled up.

“It’s this weekend,” Alya said. “And look who’s headlining!”

Marinette scanned the surface of the add before her eyes finally settled on a name that made her squeal with delight; he played shows around Paris quite often, and she had even been lucky enough to be asked to design a pair of sunglasses for him, as well as an album cover when she was in high school, but she never got tired of seeing—

“ _Jagged Stone in concert_!” She exclaimed. “When was the last time we saw him?”

“Too long,” Alya said. “I think the last time was the second last year of _lycée_.”

“That’s a long time for us,” Marinette laughed. She checked the date of the festival again, noting some of the other band and seeing a few names she recognized from Luka. “This sounds like it’s going to be good; are you sure you can manage to go to this? I know the office has been keeping you busy, and you’ve even been working nights and weekends at times.”

“I can spin it and say I’m going to do some coverage on the event,” Alya said with a wink. “And of course Nino will want to go; he’s going to want to try and rub some elbows with the other DJs.”

Marinette was suddenly giddy; the idea of being able to go out and _do_ something with her friends during her summer vacation shouldn’t have been so unusual but here she was positively elated at the idea, having not had much of a chance to do anything over the past few weeks.

“So, we’re doing this?” Alya asked as she started gathering up her trash. 

“Of course we’re doing this,” Marinette said, sliding off her chair and shouldering her purse. “You double check with Nino to make sure he’s free, and I’ll look at getting the tickets tonight.”

“Deal,” Alya said with a grin, linking her arm with Marinette’s as they walked down the street. “This is going to be awesome!”

 

* * *

**— 01101110 - 01100101 - 01111000 - 01110100 —**

* * *

 

“Can you just come home already?” Marinette sighed into the phone as she relaxed back into her _chaise lounge_. She heard a low chuckle on the other end of the line.

 _“That eager to see me, huh?”_  Luka asked, and Marinette smiled wryly to herself.

“No,” she said playfully. “I just... miss you, is all.”

“ _I miss you, too_ ,” Luka husked over the phone. “ _I should be back by next week, though._ ”

“That’s so  _faaar_ ,” Marinette whined with a pout. “Can’t you come home sooner?”

“ _Contracts to honour, love,_ ” Luka replied with another chuckle. “ _Wouldn’t do well for the band if I up and left just for my girlfriend, even if that IS all I want to do right now._ ”

“Well, how about for a slot at the Parisian Music Festival, with Jagged Stone as the headliner?” Marinette said coyly.

She heard Luka groan loudly on the other line. “ _What? I’m missing out on that?_ ”

“You are,” Marinette said. “And from what I’m seeing of the other acts that are playing, it’s going to be a good show.”

“ _If it’s a Jagged Stone show, I’d believe it,_ ” Luka sighed. “ _If only we didn’t have another week to honour in London, I would float the idea by the boys and see if we could get a slot._ ”

“What’s stopping you?”

Luka chuckled. “ _Like I said, contracts; can’t make it to the big time if I can’t honour those, and you know how big of a deal this is for me._ ”

“Well, I wouldn’t want you to give up your dreams just for me,” Marinette said with a giggle. “Or Jagged Stone. I adore you, but I certainly wouldn’t give up mine for you.”

“ _I’d expect nothing less,_ ” Luka laughed. “ _But I promise; as soon as I get home, I’ll come sweep you off your feet, and we’ll go find André and finally have that ice cream we’ve always planned on getting._ ”

“Promise?” Marinette asked with a smile.

“ _Of course. And..._ ” Luka ventured cautiously. “ _Maybe afterwards, we could... go back to my place?_ ”

Marinette felt her heart leap up into her throat and her face flushed with nervousness, but she said a little sternly, “Luka...”

“ _I know, I know,_ ” Luka said quickly. “ _You don’t want to feel pressured..._ ”

“Right; I just...” Marinette sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I dunno, Luka, you’ve been asking about it for so long, and I...”

She trailed off. She and Luka had been together for a long time, and she knew that this next step was the natural progression of their relationship. He’d breached the subject to her a few times on and off over the last couple of months, but something kept holding her back, and Marinette wasn’t really sure what it was. She cared for Luka, deeply, and he’d been nothing but kind and respectful towards her. It wasn’t that they hadn’t been intimate, but it was just the idea of going further made her feel...

“ _Are you nervous?_ ” Luka asked quietly on the other line.

“Kinda. A little.” Marinette answered. “...Yes.”

“ _Why?_ ” Luka asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

“I... don’t know,” Marinette said, taking a deep breath. “I guess... it’s just the unknown? And you’ve already had a lot of experience...”

“ _Okay, no need to bring my former slut-status into question,_ ” Luka said playfully, trying to lighten the slightly serious tone their conversation had taken.

“That’s just it, though,” Marinette chewed on her bottom lip anxiously. “You’ve already had an opportunity to get over the awkwardness... and I just... I want it to mean something, you know?”

“ _Marinette, listen to me,_ ” Luka said patiently. “ _You’re the type of girl guys would kill to settle down for. I promise you, this isn’t just some drive by or anything. I... I care about you, a lot. I just want to show you how much._ ”

“I know,” Marinette said quietly. “Maybe we can... talk about it when you get home?”

“ _Of course_ ,” Luka said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. “ _You know I’ll always take care of you, right?_ ”

“I know,” Marinette repeated, smiling into the phone. “If there’s one thing I know, it’s that.”

“ _Good,_ ” Luka said. “ _Anyway, love, listen; I’ve gotta run. We have a sound check coming up at the next venue and I still have to tune up. I’ll call you tomorrow?_ ”

“Okay,” She said, twirling a piece of hair around her finger. “Don’t accidentally make out with any groupies, or anything.”

Luka laughed openly at that. “ _When I have you waiting for me? Never._ ”

“Have fun,” Marinette said with a smile. “And have a good show.”

“ _Will do, babe,_ ” Luka said, and she was warmed by the softness of his voice. “ _Don’t miss me too much._ ”

“No promises,” Marinette laughed. “Talk to you soon, Luka.”

“ _Talk to you soon, Marinette,_ ” he said and she heard him sigh almost wistfully as he hung up the phone.

Marinette dropped her phone from her ear, pressing it against her chest, wishing that next week would come sooner.

 

* * *

**— 01101110 - 01100101 - 01111000 - 01110100 —**

* * *

 

 The rest of the week seemed to drag by. Fortunately, work at the bakery managed to keep Marinette mostly occupied, as she was managing everything herself while her parents were away, and her free evenings were usually spent with brief phone calls with Luka, a solo dinner and her sketch pad while watching whatever was on summer television. By the time Friday night rolled around, she was positively chomping at the bit to go out and eagerly got herself dressed and ready for a night of music and dancing.

She kept her hair simple, pulled back into a simple ponytail with a braided accent. Her outfit consisted of a white off-the-shoulder top and black high waisted short with silver button accents, which showed off her long legs. She paired the ensemble with a pair of casual sneakers, easy for dancing and running around at an outdoor festival. With her usual side bag slung around her shoulder, she was set to go and took the stairs two at a time to leave the moment Alya texted her to let her know she and Nino were out front.

Nino ditched his headphones for the night, sticking with his usual hat, a simple t-shirt and jean shorts. Alya looked a little more dressed up, leaving her hair down and choosing a simple golden yellow dress with flats.

The festival was being held in the park just underneath the Eiffel Tower, close enough for them to walk. They chatted amicably, the three of them insanely animated for the time of night. The prospect of seeing their favourite musician for the umpteenth time and being able to dance away the boredom of their lives gave them all a surge of energy and the trio of friends excitedly filed their way into the line of people waiting to grab their tickets to get into the park.

“You have the reservation pass, right?” Alya asked, leaning into Nino as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

“Of course,” Marinette said brightly, fishing her phone out of her bag. “I looked at VIP, but they were all sold out.”

“Probably cost an arm and a leg anyway,” Nino shrugged.

“Probably,” Alya shrugged. “Still though, VIP would have made for some amazing photos and videos for work...”

“Wait, couldn’t you have gotten a press pass?” Marinette asked.

“For myself only,” Alya said, shrugging. “I wasn’t about to ditch you two to get ahead; I’m ruthless, not heartless.”

“My hero, sacrificing the opportunity to get better access,” Marinette laughed as she showed the guy at the ticket line the barcode on her phone to scan.

“Your passes, Mademoiselle,” he said, handing them to her. “The VIP lounge is to the left.”

Marinette frowned, checking the passes and noting that they were all VIP. She shook her head, trying to hand them back to to the man. “But I... I just got regular passes.”

“They were upgraded on your behalf, Mademoiselle,” the man said. He gestured for them to move along. “Enjoy the show.”

“Upgraded? By why?” Marinette mused as she was pushed forward by Alya and Nino so they could get out of the way of the line. As she examined the passes again, each of them printed with their individual names, she felt her phone buzzing in her pocket, and she saw a text from Luka.

 

**Luka Couffaine:  
_hey babe! are you at the festival already?_**

 

Marinette handed the other two passes out to Alya and Nino before looping the lanyard of her own over her head to free both of her hands. She quickly typed out a reply.

 

**Marinette Dupain-Cheng:  
Yeah, just got here! something weird’s happening, though; our regular passes were upped to VIP?**

 

Marinette turned to Alya and Nino, glancing down at her pass again before shrugging.

“I mean... let’s count our blessings?” She asked tentatively.

“Um, definitely,” Alya shot back.

“Totally,” Nino said, leading the way through the throng and ensuring that Alya was holding his hand tightly. Marinette took care to loop her fingers around the accent belt Alya had fastened around her waist. As they found their way through the crowd, Nino leading the way to the front where they flashed their passes at the bouncer, Marinette felt her phone buzz in her pocket again.

 

**Luka Couffaine:  
_hmm… wonder how that could have happened? ;)_**

 

She felt her jaw drop.

**  
**

**Marinette Dupain-Cheng:  
Luka, you did NOT! **

**  
**

**_Luka Couffaine:  
didn’t what? ;P_ **

**  
**

**Marinette Dupain-Cheng:  
This is much too much!**

 

“I’m going to kill him,” Marinette grumbled under her breath. While he wasn’t hard done by, Luka certainly didn’t have the extra funds to drop on upgrading _three_ VIP passes. She appreciated the gesture, but _what was he thinking_?

“What’s that?” Alya said, having overheard Marinette.

“Luka,” Marinette said. “He’s the one who upgraded the tickets.”

Marinette turned her phone to show her Luka’s text as proof and Alya took a second to read it before her face split into a sly grin. She then took the phone from Marinette’s hand and held it in front of Nino’s face. He squinted at it for a second before his jaw dropped and he handed Marinette back her phone with a grin.

“Damn, your boyfriend hooked us _up_!” He said excitedly.

“You better thank your boy properly, Marinette,” Alya winked. “And throw a little thank you in there from us, too.”

Marinette flushed at Alya’s insinuation but pulled out her phone to type out a quick reply to her sneaky boyfriend.

 

 **Marinette Dupain-Cheng:**  
**You are in SO much trouble!**  
**…**  
**But thank you. So much. You’re the best.**

**  
**

**_Luka Couffaine:_ ** _  
_ **_anything for you, babe. enjoy the show; see you soon!_ **

 

Marinette frowned at the text, rereading it a few times over to make sure she was seeing it right.

“‘ _See you soon_ ’?” She repeated.

“Hmm?” Alya said, turning to look at her again. “Did you say something?”

“Luka just sent me a text saying, ‘ _see you soon’,”_ Marinette said, showing her phone to Alya. Her friend snatched it, looking at it closely through her glasses as her brows puzzled together.

“What does he mean by ‘ _see you soon’_?” Alya asked, handing the phone back to Marinette.

“I don’t know,” she said, immediately typing out a new message.

 

 **Marinette Dupain-Cheng** :  
**What do you mean ‘see you soon’?**  
**…**  
**Luka?  
????**

  
She didn’t notice that the lights around them had all but shut off until Alya was cheering loudly at her side along with the rest of the crowd, but Marinette was ignoring it all, her attention focused on her phone as it vibrated with another text.

  
**_Luka Couffaine:  
;)_**

 

“What the…” Marinette frowned at her phone again, confused by his cryptic texting. She wondered what he meant, her brows puzzling together into a frown and she was about to type out a response when an amplified voice from the stage suddenly rang out.

“ _Salut Paris_ ,” it said. “Are you ready to _DANCE_?”

The words were immediately followed up by a beat and steady guitar rift that struck Marinette’s memory as the crowd screamed, and her head snapped up from her phone just in time to hear a few voices shout in unison, “ _à quoi tu danses_?” The rift began again, and she suddenly recognized the song, shoving her phone in her back pocket before she pressed herself as close to the front as she could, leaning against the steel blockade that separated the crowd from the stage. She could hardly dare to believe it. The lights were still off on the stage but the backlights had kicked in and she kept her eyes trained on the silhouette of the guitar player as he leaned into the mic again to join the lead vocalist in shouting, “ _à quoi tu danses_?”

The lights suddenly came up on the stage, illuminating the five-member band, and Marinette’s jaw dropped when she saw the familiar mop of blue-tipped hair. There, before her eyes, was her boyfriend Luka Couffaine looking like some kind of rock god wailing away on his guitar. His band was popular among the indie music circuit in Paris and naturally, he had a lot of fans, which was evident by the number of girls she heard screaming his name. As the lead vocalist, Sebastian, picked up the first verse of the song, Luka’s eyes found her’s in the audience and he gave her an unbelievably coy smile. She even swore that he _winked_.

“Did you know he would be playing?” Alya shouted over the music.

“I had no idea!” Marinette shouted back, a huge smile forming on her face. She gave Luka a huge grin and blew him a kiss and she saw him laugh before he leaned into his mic to provide his back up vocals when the chorus kicked in.

She never got tired of watching him perform. While Luka was fairly quiet and shy in person, he came to life in a spectacular fashion on the stage; he was relaxed and clearly loved playing music for an audience. While he joined his other band members in playing to the crowd, Marinette knew that most of it was an act. Tonight, however, he seemed to be hamming it up more than usual and she realized that he was showing off for her. It made her smile. 

Their set lasted about twenty minutes, and Marinette cheered along with all of the band’s fans as they played their last song. Whenever he could, Luka’s eyes would find her in the audience and sing he’d directly to her; she could see the adoration in his eyes, even with the distance between them. It made the girl behind her screaming to her friend ( _‘oh my god, he’s singing right at me!_ ’) bearable.

The final song came to a close, Sebastian thanked the audience for the awesome time and the band started to make their way into the wings. Luka, however, put his guitar down and actually hopped off the stage, causing the audience to lose their minds. He wasted no time in making a beeline right for the VIP section and before Marinette could say anything to him, he had grabbed her face and planted a deep kiss on her, leaning over the blockade to get as close to her as possible. As if she were trying to assert her dominance, Marinette grabbed his denim shirt to pull him closer (she was vaguely aware of the girl behind her screaming in anguish) and felt him chuckle against her lips.

Luka finally released her and fixed her with an unbelievably sexy stare, husking out a breathy ‘hey’ that was much too casual after the kiss he had just planted on her.

“Hey yourself,” she said, giving him a grin as she tried to steady her heart rate. That had been one hell of a greeting and she was slightly flushed from the attention, but couldn’t deny that his validation in front of the huge crowd made her feel very special.

“Want to come backstage?” He asked.

“Are we allowed?” Marinette asked, gesturing to Alya and Nino, the former of the two having recorded their entire public display of affection.

“Duh,” he said with a grin, nodding at the couple.

He waved over a security guard to guide them to a place where they could get over the blockade without having a crowd of people trying to get through as well. As soon as there wasn’t a steel fence keeping them apart, Marinette threw her arms around Luka’s neck and he lifted her slightly off the ground with ease, burying his face into her neck.

“Should we leave you two alone?” Alya asked with a sly smile as she watched the display.

“Shut up, Alya,” Marinette said, her voice muffled by Luka’s shoulder. 

“We’re having a reunion,” Luka retorted as he pulled back and pressed another kiss to Marinette’s face with a sigh. “I missed you.”

“I missed _you,”_ she said as he set her down.

“Long time no see, man,” Nino asked, moving in to shake Luka’s hand. “Awesome set.”

“Hey! Thanks, Nino,” Luka said jovially. “I haven’t seen you since our class first semester. How’s the DJing going?”

“Not as successful as you clearly are,” Nino laughed. He almost looked like he was awed by the whole situation. “I’ve guest spun at a few clubs here and there, though.”

“I can introduce you to some people tonight if you want?” Luka asked.

“Oh man,” Nino’s eyes grew wide. “That would be amazing!”

“You’ve seriously just made his whole life,” Alya said as she shook Luka’s hand.

“Hey, it’s no problem,” Luka said, slinging his arm around Marinette’s shoulders and she melted into his side with a contented sigh, snaking her arms around his waist.

“How was London?” Alya asked. “I was following the festival as best I could over social media, but there were a lot of acts.”

“It was great!” Luka said. “We played a lot of shows, met a lot of people.. which is partially how we ended up here.”

“How long did you know you were playing this show?” Marinette asked with mock annoyance, but she was giving Luka a grin.

“I actually found out a few hours after you told me Jagged was playing a show here,” Luka said with a laugh. “He watched us play a set, asked us to open for him and essentially bought out our contracts.”

“No way,” Alya said, her jaw dropping.

“Right?” Luka said with a grin. He hugged Marinette a little closer. “Definitely helped when Jagged found out I was dating the girl who designed the cover for ‘ _Rock Giant_ ’.”

Marinette baulked. “He remembers me?!”

“Oh yeah,” Luka laughed. “ _And_ he wants to see you after the show.”

Marinette made a strange meeping sound as Nino and Alya both shot their spluttering friend a look of amazement and pride.

“Marinette!” Alya exclaimed, a huge smile forming on her face.

“That’s amazing!” Nino said.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind meeting all of you,” Luka said, taking Marinette’s hand and leading the trio of friends to an area where they could watch the show. As they got closer to the stage, they could hear the crowd start to lose their minds when the lights dimmed again.

“I’m not going to say no to that,” Nino said as he and Alya followed.

They managed to get there just in time for Jagged’s entrance (him rising up out of the stage on a hydraulic lift as dry ice billowed around him, complete with pyrotechnics), and Alya pulled out her phone to record the spectacle, completely floored at the amazing view they had. Nino stood behind her, watching over her shoulder as Marinette and Luka hung back.

“He really wants to see me?” Marinette asked, feeling a little nervous.

“I was the one who told him you were coming,” Luka said, rubbing her arm affectionately. “He was the one who suggested I get your tickets changed to VIP.”

“Wow,” Marinette breathed. She then leaned into Luka’s side again, wrapping her arms around his waist. “You played an amazing show.”

“Were you surprised?” He asked, hugging her back.

“Very,” Marinette laughed. She then stood up on her tiptoes to press her lips against Luka’s cheek. “I’m glad you’re home.”

“Me, too,” Luka said, kissing the top of her head before he pulled her a little closer to the stage to watch the show.

 

* * *

**— 01101110 - 01100101 - 01111000 - 01110100 —**

* * *

 

  **\- system diagnostic: ... in progress -**

 

White again… all he could see was white…

He squinted.

There was a shape in the distance… It was… a person? He focused harder and he could see the faint outline of someone… a woman. She was wearing a white dress…

He heard it again. The laughter. Like music.

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 40% -**

 

She was in the distance, just out of reach…

He wanted to call out to her… but he couldn’t find his voice. How did he make his voice work again?

Then he realized he didn’t know her name.

Why did she feel familiar?

 

**\- system vitals: ... climbing -**

 

He realized that she was drifting farther and farther away like he was being pulled back by some invisible force, but he couldn’t feel himself moving.

He didn’t want to lose track of her.

She suddenly felt like the only sure thing, the only thing he knew was real.

He ached to touch her, to see her face… he reached out…

He felt like lead. He couldn’t move. Why couldn’t he move?

 

**\- stabilization: ... in progress -**

 

Panic was beginning to set in.

He couldn’t lose track of her. He couldn’t.

He needed to find her, to see her…

Who was she?

He desperately needed to know.

 

**\- standing by... -**

 

His hazy mind tried to memorize the shape of her, the way her dress seemed to sway in the breeze that he couldn’t feel.

He heard the laughter again.

It calmed him.

 

**\- system vitals: ... stabilized -**

 

He suddenly felt very sleepy again.

Maybe she was lulling him to sleep?

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 42.2% -**

 

He wanted to see her face… longed to, as if it was the only thing keeping him going…

Maybe she was telling him to sleep, to wait, he mused as the darkness began to creep in.

If it was her… he would listen…

‘ _Anything for her…’_ he thought as he drifted off again…

 

**\- system reboot: ... standing by -**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: I realized I made a rookie author mistake by forementioning something in a previous chapter and coincides with this chapter, but made it seem like that mention never happened... It was the music fesitival. I forgot they'd already talked about the damn music fesitval. I fixed it. I fixed chapter 2, anyway.
> 
> The song that inspired Luka's band's entrance is called "A quoi tu danses?" ("What do you dance for?") and is from the French musical "1789: Les amants de la Bastille" and is a JAM. Highly recommend. You'll notice that I used another song from the same show in my Musician AU fic, "Falling in Your Eyes". It will not be the last time I use a song from that to inspire something, I'm sure.
> 
> I was going to add in a Jagged Stone meeting, but I felt like this was getting a little lengthy, and this chapter was hard enough to write as it were.
> 
> I also understand why people ship Lukanette, because he's actually precious... good guy boyfriend Luka.
> 
> When Adrien figures out how much he loves Marinette in the show, it's over for ALL of you.


	5. - Onerous S0UL -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Gabriel receives some bad news...

_“How is this going to work, exactly?” Gabriel asked._

_He was sitting in a comfortable chair in a grand office across from Dr Fu who was idly trimming the branches of a bonsai tree. The glass surface of his desk was an example of organized perfection (something Gabriel greatly respected) and the soft tinkling of running water could be heard from the floor-to-ceiling fountain mounted on the wall behind the desk. It was a tranquil environment, to be sure, despite the pristine whiteness and industrial design of the building._

_“How is what going to work, Mr Agreste?” Dr Fu asked, his hands steady as he carefully shaped the leaves with a small pair of scissors._

_“Adrien,” Gabriel clarified, shifting in his chair and clasping his hands together in his lap. “His life, the quality of it; how is it all going to work?”_

_“He will have a normal quality of life,” Dr Fu said, snipping off one final rogue branch from his tree before pushing it aside. “Now that the chip is in place and his heart is beating on its own, his life will continue on as if nothing happened.”_

_“Is that so?” Gabriel asked._

_“Like I said before, his memories may take a little time to recover,” Dr Fu steepled his fingers together on the desk as he surveyed Gabriel thoughtfully. “But in terms of his ability to grow, eat and experience emotions, all of that will occur naturally. He might even be able to father children of his own, though we have yet to fully test that theory. Your son is human, as he was before; he may just be a little bit more... skilled once he’s able to move around again normally.”_

_“How long will that be?” Gabriel pressed._

_“His final surgery went very well,” Dr Fu said with a smile. “The chip is now permanently in place, and his body hasn’t rejected it; he should be fully recovered in a few weeks’ time.”_

_Gabriel sighed with relief, glad that the worst seemed to be over._

_He would soon discover how very wrong he was._

 

* * *

_**— 01101110 - 01100101 - 01111000 - 01110100 —** _

* * *

 

_In the days that followed, Gabriel was amazed at how much his son thrived. Dr Fu had suggested keeping him under anaesthesia for a few days to allow him time to adapt to being alive again but less than a week later, the boy was awake and alert as if he’d never been dead. Gabriel could see all the familiar traces of his son in the way he spoke, moved, the way his eyes would light up when something interested him; it was Adrien, through and through._

_Well... aside from his memories, anyway._

_Gabriel more or less lived at Dr Fu’s facility while Adrien recovered. He was there when the boy took his first steps again after being bedridden for so long. He had stumbled, his body still not quite used to moving around, but he regained his strength quickly. After a few hours, he was taking a leisurely walk with Gabriel around the facility. He particularly enjoyed the outside, Gabriel noted; he lingered in place when the breeze washed over him, ruffling his hair, took careful consideration of the flowers and plants in a way that reminded Gabriel so much of his wife. The only thing that troubled Gabriel was the fact that Adrien didn’t seem to know exactly who he was; the boy was almost wary of him. Even if he’d been there when he first woke up, Adrien still looked at Gabriel as if he were a stranger. He understood that Gabriel was his father and called him as such, but it was like he had to remind himself to use the word instead of ‘Mr Agreste’ like he was so used to hearing the doctors refer to him as._

_Despite Adrien making leaps and bounds with his recovery, Dr Fu was quite adamant that he not be kept awake for more than a few hours a day. According to him, he found with the past subjects that it made adapting to life again less stressful. Over time, however, it was something that Adrien grew to dislike the stronger he got and he was beginning to show his displeasure._

_“I don’t want to go to sleep again,” he said to his father as Dr Fu prepared an IV of anaesthetic. He was laying on the gurney obediently, the blankets pulled up around his waist so all that could be seen of him was his t-shirt clad torso, but he looked incredibly put out. His brows knitted together in annoyance, lips slightly pursed._

_“I know, son,” Gabriel sighed, smoothing his hand over the boy’s hair. “Soon you won’t have to anymore.”_

_“It’s only for a little while longer while you adapt,” Dr Fu said, gently checking the IV to the tube protruding from under a piece of gauze and medical tape in the crook of Adrien’s elbow. “You’ll be done with all of this soon, Adrien, I promise.”_

_A sudden meow (that sounded more like a squawk to Gabriel) was heard from the doorway, and a sleek black cat with large green eyes and a long fluffy tail hopped up into the bed without warning. Gabriel frowned at the creature as it made its way up the gurney to Adrien’s face, promptly mashing its head into his son’s cheek in a sign of affection._

_“Hi, Plagg,” Adrien chuckled, his hands coming up to pet the animal behind the ears._

_“Looks like someone wanted to comfort you, Adrien,” Dr Fu said, ruffling the black cat’s head._

_Ever since the chip had been connected to Adrien, the cat had been more or less glued to his side. Gabriel hadn’t been aware of the animal until he came to check up on his son one morning prior to his final surgery. He came face to face with the cat who was laying on the sleeping boy’s chest and no matter how much Gabriel tried to shoo him away, the creature had stayed there stubbornly, fixing him with an unblinking stare that was slightly unnerving. He wasn’t much fond of it and would have preferred it stay away from Adrien while he recovered, but his son seemed drawn to the little beast and Dr Fu said having the cat around would be good for him._

_“Plagg is the second of our successes,” Dr Fu had said when Gabriel first expressed concern about the animal. “MiracuS0UL holders seem to have a connection, we’ve noticed; they are drawn to each other, find comfort in each other and I believe they help each other heal. Plagg won’t be a concern.”_

_So, whether Gabriel liked it or not, the cat named Plagg came around whenever he pleased, usually as Adrien was either just being woken up or just being put to sleep; he usually stayed with him for a time afterwards, as well. Plagg purred loudly as he settled down on Adrien’s chest, his long tail curling around his body. Gabriel watched as his son continued to stroke the creature down the length of his body and the cat made a happy chirping noise as Adrien’s fingers found a particular place he liked to be scratched near the middle of his back._

_“If I didn’t see it with my own two eyes, I wouldn’t have believed Cranky Plagg would warm up to anyone,” Dr Fu chuckled._

_“Don’t listen to him, Plagg,” Adrien murmured to the cat as he settled back against the gurney. “You’re not cranky, are you?”_

_“Alright, Adrien,” Dr Fu said. “It’s time to sleep.”_

_Adrien sighed and reluctantly offered his arm to Dr Fu so he could hook up the IV before turning his head to look at Gabriel. The boy’s eyes, so vividly green and more intense than Gabriel remembered, surveyed his face in a look that Gabriel had come to recognize over the last couple days; Adrien was trying to learn his face again, trying to remember it. The notion warmed him and also made him feel sad at the same time._

_“You’ll be here?” Adrien asked Gabriel. Despite Gabriel being present every time Adrien woke up, he still always asked as if he were afraid it wouldn’t happen one day._

_“Of course, son,” Gabriel said, smoothing the boy’s hair again. “Always.”_

_Adrien smiled softly. “Thank you. Father.”_

 

* * *

**_— 01101110 - 01100101 - 01111000 - 01110100 —_ **

* * *

 

_As Adrien slept, the menacing cat snoozing with him, Dr Fu and Gabriel convened in the former’s large office. Dr Fu instantly made his way over to the desk, but Gabriel hung back in the centre of the room, trying to find a tactful way to say what was on his mind._

_“How do you think Adrien’s recovery is going?” He asked casually._

_“Exceedingly well,” Dr Fu said with a smile, taking a seat. “He is doing far better than I could have ever imagined.”_

_“Good,” Gabriel said, clasping his hands behind his back. “Good...”_

_Dr Fu fixed him with a knowing stare. “Something on your mind?”_

_“I... suppose,” Gabriel cleared his throat. “I’m very grateful for what you’ve done for my son; I don’t want it to seem like I’m not. I suppose... well... I’m just wondering when we can get started with Emilie.”_

_Dr Fu’s face fell into a look that caused Gabriel to raise his brow. Dr Fu lowered his gaze, taking a deep breath as he clasped his hands together in front of him, clearly thinking of what he was going to say, an action that unnerved Gabriel._

_“Mr Agreste...” Dr Fu said slowly. “Regretfully, I’m... not sure that reviving Emilie will be possible.”_

_Gabriel paused for a long moment before he cleared his throat again, trying to keep the frustration that started to bubble up in check. There must be some explanation for this._

_“If it’s about funding—”_

_“It has nothing to do with money,” Dr Fu held up a hand. “It’s more... medical. Given your wife’s pre-existing heart conditions, I fear that she may not…_ take _to the enhancements very well.”_

_“If you’re concerned she won’t survive it, I’d like to remind you that she’s already dead,” Gabriel said flatly. He’d had enough time since first meeting Dr Fu in the hospital to come to terms with saying that out loud without feeling like his heart was shattering._

_“It’s not that,” Dr Fu shook his head. “Embedding this technology into a weakened heart could have long-term ramifications.”_

_“... Explain.”_

_“Our goal is to ensure that people who undergo this procedure are able to live a long and fulfilling life as naturally as possible; Adrien was the perfect picture of health before his death and was the ideal candidate.” Dr Fu said. He then paused, having the grace to look remorseful. “Emilie, unfortunately... is not.”_

_Gabriel blinked. He couldn’t really understand what Dr Fu was telling him and it took a while for it to sink in. He just felt kind of numb and took a deep breath as he pushed his hand through his hair, trying to keep his emotions in check._

_“Okay,” he said slowly and evenly as he felt his face and chest grow warmer. “Okay... so, we find another option. We... find a way to enhance the... power of the chip or something. Or an organ donor! We could find her a new heart-”_

_“I'm afraid that would be a moot point,” Dr Fu said sadly. “As I said with Adrien, our souls are in our hearts; replacing Emilie’s heart with another would mean losing her soul and she would be a shell of the women she was. I know you don’t want that for her.”_

_“There must be something we can do!” Gabriel said, his voice rising. “Adrien was a resounding success!”_

_“He was,” Dr Fu agreed quietly. “He_ is _. He is the greatest success for GuardTech to date, and I can only hope we can do even better going forward. However, the conditions were different for him than they are for Emilie: we looked into both of their medical histories before proceeding and we chose Adrien as the more viable option between the two. I had Dr Wayzz do some more research on Emilie’s condition earlier this week, and unfortunately, it’s just... not possible.”_

_Gabriel couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He gaped at Dr Fu, feeling like this was almost some kind of... personal betrayal. He had put his trust in this man, all his hope for the future of his family in his hands. His own hands clenched into fists behind his back._

_“I don’t understand how it’s ‘not possible’,” he said slowly._

_“Remember, Mr Agreste, this is still an experimental medicine and young bodies are generally able to bounce back quicker.” Dr Fu said evenly. “Emilie would be alive, but her quality of life would not be as fulfilling; she could possibility to bedridden, or in a great deal of pain for the rest of her days as her body tries to attack the enhancements, and we don’t believe there would_ be _many more days if she_ did _take to the procedure. That is not the quality of life that GuardTech strives to offer.”_

_Gabriel pursed his lips, his jaw clenching tightly and he held his tongue while simultaneously trying to find a way to get around all of these technicalities. He knew deep down that this whole thing had been conditional but now that he’s had a taste of what it felt like to have part of his family back, the knowledge that death could be cheated, he found he wanted to keep sampling until he had everything he wanted. He hoped his face was carefully composed so that it wouldn’t betray his thoughts but it was as if Dr Fu could read his mind. The old man sighed and got up out of his chair to pat Gabriel on the arm._

_“I’m sorry, Mr Agreste. I wish there was more we could do for your wife.” Dr Fu said. Gabriel didn’t answer, his eyes hardening as he looked away and started to make his way to the door. He knew that if he stayed any longer, he would break something. Before he was able to leave, he heard Dr Fu speak again and paused._

_“Enjoy your time with your son,” Dr Fu advised. “You two need each other.”_

_Gabriel didn’t say anything as he walked out of the office._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are halfway through Phase 1 of this AU!
> 
> As always, all Gabriel-centric chapters are dedicated to Octolad!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading, guys!


	6. - Apprehensive S0UL -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Luka and Marinette go on a date and have a discussion...

Since Luka had surprised her at the concert, Marinette had been eager to spend every free moment with him that she could. Her Sunday had been filled with getting things ready for the bakery the following morning, and once she closed up shop for the day late Monday afternoon, she quickly showered the flour out of her hair, changed into something comfortable and casual (cuffed pink denim shorts, a breezy white t-shirt and a black cardigan sweater paired with flat white sneakers) and eagerly took the stairs two at a time on her way to the door to meet Luka. He turned when she opened the door to see her, positively beaming as his eyes met hers.

“Hi,” she said, leaning against the door frame. She admired him, his artfully tousled blue-tipped hair, his dark jeans, carefully ripped at the knees, his white Jagged Stone t-shirt that was topped with an unbuttoned plaid shirt. With his leather cuffs and black-painted nails, he looked every bit of the bad boy persona he tried to portray, but Marinette saw the sweetness behind his blue eyes.

“Hey,” he replied, opening his arms for an embrace, and Marinette wasted no time in allowing herself to be wrapped up in his hug. He smelled good, like clean laundry and she thought she got a faint whiff of a subtle, musky cologne as she felt him sigh against her hair. “Man, I missed you.”

“You saw me a day ago!” She chuckled into his shoulder, before pulling back to look at him, her hands still clasped around his neck.

“Mm, too long,” he said, already leaning in to press a warm kiss to her lips and she smiled into his mouth, laughing as he began to pepper kisses all over her face. “I have a few weeks to make up for, as well.”

“Okay, okay,” she giggled, stopping his onslaught of kisses by putting a hand over his mouth. “At this rate, we won’t end up going anywhere.”

“I’m cool with that,” Luka smirked, arching a suggestive brow as he pulled her a little closer.

Marinette clucked her tongue and tapped Luka on the nose with a playful smirk on her face. “Don’t push it.”

She managed to wiggle out of his arms long enough for her to lock the door behind her and they headed off, dropping her keys into her little bag before her hands snaked up to grip his bicep as she leaned into him.

“So, where to?” She asked.

“Let’s go on an adventure,” Luka suggested with a grin, and he fished something out of his pocket. It was a small old school Polaroid camera, and Marinette beamed at the idea.

They strolled around Paris, stopping here and there to observe shops and storefronts, Marinette pulling Luka back to observe a particularly creative clothing display every once in a while, and in return, he pulled her into nearly every record store they passed. Along the way, they took many pictures; they posed for some selfies, he would snap some of her while she looked at things (he usually got them when she had her nose pressed against the glass to get a better look at the details of a garment on the mannequin), and in return she would snap candid photos of him usually making some kind of derp face before he would playfully wrestle the camera back from her.

At the fifth record store they passed, Luka eagerly dragged her towards it. She gave him quizzical look that she knew had a hint of annoyance in it, and though she meant it in a playful manner, he gave her a sheepish grin.

“I know, I’m sorry,” he said, guiding her inside. “I’m trying to find an old record, and I need my lucky charm.”

“Lucky charm?” Marinette asked. Then it clicked. “Oh. You mean me?”

“The luckiest,” Luka crooned, kissing the top of her head as he led her inside. “I feel like I’m close to finding it.”

“How do you know?” Marinette chuckled as she watched her boyfriend dive into the stacks of vinyl records.

“Call it a sixth sense,” he said, carefully flipping through each one. 

“ _Uh huh_ ,” she said with a grin. “What’s it called? I’ll help you look.” 

He told her the name of the record from an old, obscure English band called The Monks and Marinette got to work searching through the stacks. She found the end of the ‘M’ section and began flipping the vinyls backwards, keeping a careful eye out for the name of the band. She finally landed on an album cover with an attractive nun sitting at a table in a white-brick room, adjusting the straps of her garters with a look of shock and surprise in her face. Marinette snorted as she picked up the album cover and turned it to Luka after looking at the name of the album; it had been out back in the wrong spot, she noticed.

“Is this it?” She asked. 

Luka looked up from his rummaging, his brows creasing as he focused on the album cover. His face then relaxed into a look of surprise before he went to her side and slipped an arm around her waist, kissing her temple before he took the album from her hands to look at it, flipping it over to look at the names of tracks listed on the back.

“This is it,” he said. He grinned at her, giving a wink. “Lucky charm for sure.”

Marinette chuckled, following him as he made his way to the counter to pay.

 

* * *

**— 01101110 - 01100101 - 01111000 - 01110100 —**

* * *

 

  ****They made one final stop in an instrument store so Luka could pick up spare guitar strings and a few new picks before finding themselves on the Pont des Arts, strolling hand in hand. The sun was beginning to set, leaving a gentle golden glow on the world that made for a very romantic atmosphere. Luka stopped her at one point to take a photo of her silhouetted against the sun before they took another selfie together and they sat on a bench to look over their photo collection.

“That’s a good one,” Marinette said earnestly, pointing to one where Luka was looking through albums with his tongue poking comically out from between his teeth.

Luka snorted. “Right,” he said with a chuckle.

“I’m mean it,” Marinette replied seriously. “It really captures your essence.”

Luka barked out a laugh. “Is that so?”

Marinette hummed in affirmation, plucking the photo from his hand. “This could hang a national gallery; maybe I’ll ditch being a fashion designer and go into photography, instead. I’ll call this one, ‘ _Concentration: A Portrait of Man_ ’. What do you think?”

“I think I’d rather buy you out of the rights for the photograph before I let it be hung up in _any_ gallery,” Luka chuckled.

"Alright then," Marinette said, holding out her hand to him palm up. "That'll be one million dollars."

Luka made a small groaning noise. "That's a little out of my price range..."

"Is it? That's too bad."

"I'd still rather you didn't put it up in any gallery though," he said. 

“Well, how about the _Gallery of my Room_ , then?” She said, holding the photo out of reach as he moved to take it.

Luka paused before smiling and shuffling through the pictures. “Acceptable. Only if I can keep _this_ one, though.”

He pulled out one that he’d snapped of Marinette while she was in the middle of talking; her eyes were closed in the photo, her mouth hanging open in a vague and derpy looking expression, and while Marinette was fairly photogenic, this was definitely the most unattractive photo of her in the bunch.

“Ah, Luka, _no_ ,” she said, making a swipe for the photo, but he snickered as he held it out of her reach. “That one is terrible! Please?”

“If you get to keep _my_ candid photo, I get to keep yours,” he laughed as he held it away from her. “Fair is fair! Besides...”

He managed to shove it into his pocket before she could grab it and shuffled through the others again to find two similar photographs; one of Marinette kissing Luka on the cheek while he smiled into the camera and one where it was the opposite; he handed her the one of him kissing her.

“We have these two examples to make up for our derpiness,” he said. Marinette took the photo and smiled at it before she gave him a playful look.

“No else alive better see that photo,” she threatened jokingly as the faint found of singing could be heard in the distance.

“I swear on my life,” Luka said, leaning in to give her a quick kiss before he turned around to find the source of the singing. “Sounds like André’s on his way; looks we came at the perfect time.”

Sure enough, André the Ice Cream Man was pushing his cart down the _Pont des Arts_ , singing his song to draw customers to his cart. There weren’t many people around that Monday evening; a few older couples, some young professionals, and those few university student-aged couples who clearly had the evening off. Luka stood and offered Marinette his hand.

“I believe I promised you ice cream when I got back, didn’t I?” He said with a smile.

Marinette grinned and took his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet and let him lead the way to Andre’s cart. They got in line, where Luka snaked his arm around her waist and she leaned into him comfortably as they chatted away the wait in the line. When they finally reached André, he greeted them jovially, his voice loud and exuberant.

“Aah, two new lovers before me!” He exclaimed. “I know just what to make for each of you, you’ll see!”

He scooped out an ice cream for Luka, consisting of a lot of berry flavours (strawberry for her favourite colour, blue raspberry for her eyes and blueberry for her hair) while Marinette’s was...

“Peach pink like his lips and mint green like his eyes,” André said, topping her ice cream with a tiny red cherry before handing it to her. Then he beckoned her closer as Luka stepped out of the way as he recognized one of his bandmates passing by. As Marinette leaned in, André glanced over at Luka before he continued in a hushed tone, “Though be careful, my dear; your life he may jeopardize.”

“What?” She asked in alarm, glancing a Luka as well. André didn’t get a chance to answer her as he was pulled into a conversation with another couple looking for ice cream.

Marinette’s brows knitted together as she pulled back, her ice cream suddenly a heavy weight in her hands. As she thought of his words, she absently dropped a coin into the tip jar before she turned to find Luka, who was busy chatting with Sebastian and his girlfriend Claire. As soon as Luka saw her, he beckoned her over and slipped his arm around her shoulders as he continued to chat briefly.

All the while, André’s odd warning lingered in the back of her mind.

 

* * *

**— 01101110 - 01100101 - 01111000 - 01110100 —  
**

* * *

In was the early hours of the evening, and darkness had fallen over the city. Marinette and Luka had grabbed a light dinner at a small bistro before heading back to his place to hang out and relax; he wanted to listen to the album he’d just bought and Marinette wasn’t quite ready to leave his side just yet. She had managed to push André’s strange rhyme out of her mind long enough to enjoy the rest of the evening and allowed him to twirl her around in between displaying his very excellent air guitar skills as he sang along with every track on the record. By the end of it, Marinette fixed them a late night snack and they settled on the couch to watch a movie. She nestled into his side, playing with his hands and noting how long and calloused his fingers were from playing the guitar. She liked his hands; they felt nice against her skin, she thought.

Her mind suddenly flashed back to the strange rhyme that was beginning to feel incredibly foreboding. Marinette forced it from her mind and leaned up to give Luka a kiss to help ease the sudden anxiety she felt. He responded eagerly, giving her gentle, chaste kisses in between their long, languid ones. Their stolen kisses eventually evolved into an all-out make-out session, Luka adjusting them to that they were laying on the couch instead of sitting, and Marinette was eager to comply. The movie played on, forgotten in the background.

Their kissing steadily became more heated, both of their hands beginning to wander. Marinette fingers threaded themselves into Luka’s hair, ran along his jaw and down his neck and shoulders while he pulled her as close as he possibly could. He untangled a hand from her hair to run down her side, steadily making his way to the curve of her hip. When his fingers began to creep along the waistband of her shorts, Marinette’s breath suddenly caught and she pulled back from his lips, bracing her hand against his shoulder.

“Luka,” she gasped, giving him a gentle push. His lips had already found themselves at her neck and she sucked in another breath as she felt his teeth graze against her skin. “Luka, wait…”

He stilled above her before he pulled his head back to meet her eyes, a frown marring his features. The hand that was making its way south came back up to stroke her hair and he searched her eyes for any kind of discomfort.

“You okay?” Luka asked. His voice was husky, a fact that Marinette didn’t fail to notice, and it made her blush slightly before she had to look away.

“I just... um...” Why did she feel so tense? This was Luka; the guy she’d dated for the past couple months and the boy she’d decided was her boyfriend. She was comfortable around him in nearly every other situation; why not this one?

“I think we should slow down a bit,” she finally said, upset at how small her voice sounded. “I know you said we could... talk about it, and...”

She trailed off.

"This is us talking about it,” he said softly, fingers idly playing with her hair. 

Marinette rolled her eyes. “I don’t know where you’ve been, but there hasn’t been much talking over the past half hour.”

“No, I mean right now,” Luka said. “Our mouths are... otherwise unoccupied, so we can talk about it now.”

“Okay, then,” Marinette said. She hesitated a moment and took a deep breath to calm the sudden butterflies in her stomach. “I don’t... think I’m ready. For... for _that_.”

Luka didn’t say anything. He just looked at her, his eyes roving her face. When the pause grew to be too long, Marinette’s chest felt tight, but she cautiously asked, “Is that... a problem for you?”

“I just don’t think this is going to work out anymore, Marinette,” Luka said seriously.

Marinette’s jaw dropped, about to tell him off when she noticed the way the corner of his mouth twitched as he fought to keep the smile that was threatening to break across his face at bay. He was _joking_.

“Oh my god, you’re such an _ass_!” She said in mock outrage smacking him on the shoulder as he chuckled. “You really had me going there; I was seriously just about to dump you on the spot.”

“Oh, no,” he crooned, leaning in to kiss her cheek. She batted him away playfully. “I’m sorry, that was poorly timed.”

“ _No_ ,” Marinette said sarcastically. “You think?”

“I’m sorry,” Luka chuckled, finding her hand and linking his fingers with hers. He looked at their clasped hands for a moment, the smile slowly slipping from his face as he regarded her with a solemn look. “In all seriousness, though... there’s no rush; I know you said you didn’t want to feel rushed and I’ll do my best to not push it. You’re very beautiful, Marinette, and I am... _insanely_ attracted to you. As much as I _do_ want you, I want you to be comfortable, too.”

“Okay,” Marinette said, craning her head up to bunt her forehead against his. “Thank you, Luka.”

“Of course,” he said, untangling his hand from hers to stroke her hair again. He checked his watch to find the time and sighed. “It’s getting late... I should probably take you home soon so that getting up at the crack of dawn for the bakery isn’t such a chore. I know you’re not a morning person.”

Marinette sighed too. “I’m _really_ not.”

“I wish I could keep kissing you for a little while longer though...” Luka muttered.

Marinette pursed her lips in thoughtful contemplation for a moment before she gave him a playful smile. “A few more minutes couldn’t hurt...”

“You sure?” He asked, a hopeful hint to his voice.

Marinette grinned and beckoned him a little closer with her finger.

“Get over here,” she said softly, meeting his lips halfway.

 

* * *

**— 01101110 - 01100101 - 01111000 - 01110100 —  
**

* * *

  
****

**\- system diagnostic: ... in progress -**

 

The whiteness was back. He seemed to be slipping in and out of darkness.

His head felt heavy, his chest tight.

Taking breaths was difficult for some reason. He could hear the blood pounding in his ears.

In the distance, he heard that laughter again...

 

  **\- diagnostic at: ... 60% -**

 

He immediately looked for the girl in the white dress.

She was in the distance.

Her back was to him, but he could see her a little clearer now. He noted the way she moved, her lithe body graceful and fluid... The way her skirt danced and swayed in the breeze that he could not feel...

Wait...

 

**\- system vitals: ... stabl— -**

**\- system vitals: ... climbing -**

 

Why couldn’t he feel the breeze? He could see it.

He could see the way it flowed through her hair, loose around her shoulders like the finest silk, the way it shone in the sunlight-

He realized he couldn’t feel the sun, either.

He could see it on her, see it’s warmth and soft golden glow, but he was suddenly aware of how cold he felt.

Cold and isolated.

Just nothingness...

 

**\- stabilization: ... in progress -**

He felt his heartbeat pick up. Dread began to set in.

Was she real?

Or was she nothing but a memory...? Or worse; a simulation, fabricated to placate him?

He blinked, and the white world around him was gone.

Replaced instead by an eerie, green glow around the edges of blackness.

He gasped.

 

**\- standing by... -**

He tried to take deep breaths, but they came out shallow.

He realized why his chest felt tight; it felt like he was drowning.

He couldn’t breathe.

 

**\- standing by... -**

He fought with his lungs, willing them to take in a deeper gulp of air.

He blinked again, and he was back in the whiteness. The girl was in front of him again, closer than she’d ever been. 

It was then, she suddenly turned to face him.

Her face was lovelier than he could have ever imagined, and he knew then the moment their eyes met that she was real.

No simulation could ever create eyes like _that_.

His lungs suddenly seemed to work again, as if life was found in those vivid bluebell eyes...

 

**\- system vitals: ... stabilized -**

 

He began to drift off again.

As he did, one word came to mind.

A word that he knew associated with her...

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 66.3% -**

 

‘ _Princess_...’

 

**\- system reboot: ... standing by -**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned into SO much more than I expected it to. I managed to add more plot things in there that I had originally thought I would, and I'm actually super proud of myself.
> 
> I would have made the André scene longer, but I was NOT about to spend my time writing rhyming dialogue. I can't... no. That would have taken me far too long.
> 
> This fic and my Musician AU "Falling in Your Eyes" are both going to show how much of an audiophile I am. If anyone is interested in the album Luka was looking for, it's called "Bad Habits" by The Monks. They're an English new-wave, punk-pop band from the late 70's-early 80's. I don't know how rare their albums actually are, but they're a bop. Luka seems like a vinyl collector.
> 
> Took some inspiration from the film "Keith" for this one. It's a great movie, please watch. Gave me a whole lot of respect for Jesse McCartney, and I'm not saying that ironically.
> 
> Also, Adrien's dream girl has been revealed. I mean, at least I hope it's obvious by now.
> 
> As always, thanks so much reading guys! This has been super fun to write, and I know it's a slow burn, but we're getting to the good stuff soon!


	7. - Capricious S0UL -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Gabriel comes to a realization...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next few chapters are going to be slightly on the shorter side to keep with pacing, but they will pick up again!
> 
> It was also like pulling teeth trying to write this. I had all these ideas that left me and I just struggled, so I figured less is more.
> 
> Just in case you're wondering why this is so dang short.

_In the weeks that followed after his last conversation with Dr Fu, Gabriel found that he was unable to shake the idea of reviving Emilie. For years, even before Adrien came along, she had been his confidant, his muse, his best friend, the love of his life... and to have someone promise him that they could bring her back after she’d been ripped away from him, only to break that promise, made his blood boil._

_He knew he should have been happy; his son was alive again and he was getting better and better each and every day. Gabriel sat outside in the gardens of the GuardTech facility while Adrien worked on some physiotherapy with one of the doctors on staff, a bubbly lady with red hair named Dr Trixx. He had watched as his son went through the motions of recovery since the day he first woke up; learning to walk again without needing something to help hold his weight, being able to walk easily around the facility without needing to take breaks, his first foray into exercise and running on a treadmill. Dr Trixx had been responsible for making sure that all of Adrien’s nerves were in fine working order, that there was no delay in his reaction time and that he hadn’t lost any sensation in his extremities after being lifeless for so long. They had even gotten a fencing sabre back in his hands; it turned out that Dr Trixx used to be a fencing champion in her youth and was more than happy to spar against Adrien. As always, he bested her quickly and easily._ Too _easily, Gabriel noticed; she hardly had any time to parry his attacks before he touched her with the tip of his Sabre in only a matter of seconds._

_Dr Fu had said that he would be more skilled; Gabriel just didn’t realize how intense his new skills would be._

_Adrien moved with ease, fluid and graceful, something that was different from the way he had moved before. It was like the MiracuS0UL chip and the connectors that extended all throughout his body gave him superpowers, a sort of sixth sense that made him extra aware of his surroundings. Soon, fencing wasn’t enough to satiate his energy; over time, he was free-climbing up rock walls, eventually without a harness, and when the rock walls grew to be too easy, he actually started to climb the regular walls, both literally and figuratively._

_“Haven’t I healed enough?” Adrien asked one afternoon as he walked outside with his father. He was finally out of the hospital gowns, dressed in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt, and he watched as a white butterfly fluttered by him. “I’m ready to get out of here.”_

_“In due time, Adrien,” Gabriel said automatically, watching his son absently as the boy moved ahead of him to follow the winged insect, thinking that his were movements too graceful. “When... when Dr Fu thinks you’re ready, I’ll take you home and... we’ll go on a... long holiday.”_

_“Really?” Adrien asked, turning to his father with a grin._

_Gabriel observed Adrien carefully. He took in his face, his hair, his eyes, everything that made him Adrien. It was all so familiar and yet... it_ wasn’t _. The longer Gabriel looked at his son, the more he began to feel like a stranger to him. He thought about Adrien’s quick reaction time, his impressive strength and good reflexes; Adrien had always been very skilled, but he had never been so... so_ perfect _. The way he moved, so deliberately; the way he stood, so still; the way his eyes bored into Gabriel’s very soul, too focused. A crashing realization came down on Gabriel so hard that it knocked the wind out of him._

 _Everything Adrien was, everything that made him stand before him today, was all a fabrication, manufactured in a lab and called a miracle. This... this_ thing _standing before him was nothing but an android; a pale imitation of the person who was once his son._

_It was his son’s body, but nothing more._

_“Father?” Adrien’s voice cut through Gabriel’s thoughts. “Are you alright?”_

_“Yes,” Gabriel croaked, his throat suddenly very dry. “Yes, everything is…_ fine _.”_

_Gabriel shook his head, pulling his glasses from his face and rubbing his eyes. His mind was swimming with thoughts and realities and revelations he couldn’t get a grasp on. He put his glasses back in his face, noticing that Adrien was looking at him curiously, a look of concern marring his otherwise perfect features. Too perfect._

_“I just remembered that I have... work to do,” he said, turning away to make his leave. “I should... probably go take care of that.”_

_He had made a terrible mistake._

 

* * *

_**— 01101110 - 01100101 - 01111000 - 01110100 —  
** _

* * *

__

_“Sir, are you sure you still want to go along with this?” Nathalie asked, causing Gabriel to pause in his search through Dr Fu’s files._

_A week had passed since Gabriel’s realization and he had spent a week in solitude thinking over all of his options. He had gone back to his mansion and hadn’t visited Adrien during that time under the excuse of work, when in reality he’d been working out a plan, one that would ensure Emilie would be revived. He wouldn’t have been able to do it alone, so he enlisted the help of his assistant, Nathalie Sancoeur. She was loyal and had agreed to help him, despite her attempts at talking him out of his plan. However, he was in too deep; nothing could sway him now._

_Gabriel looked around the office, gesturing to Dr Fu who was unconscious on the floor from being hit over the head and holding up the stack of files that had been pulled from the desk in his hand. He gave her an incredulous look._

_“What kind of a stupid question is that?” he snapped._

_“My apologies, Sir,” Nathalie said, her voice level as she bowed her head. “What would you have me do?”_

_“Grab him,” Gabriel pointed to the set of closed glass doors adjacent to the desk that led to the area that served as Adrien’s temporary bedroom. “He’ll be put under for the night, as usual. And grab some extra anaesthetic while you’re in there; we don’t want him waking up.”_

_Nathalie complied as Gabriel continued to rifle through files in the filing cabinet, taking the ones that were useful and throwing aside the ones that weren’t, their papers scattering all over the floor. A few moments later, Nathalie emerged from the room with a satchel filled with bags and syringes and an unconscious Adrien slung over her shoulder in a fireman carry, his body limp._

_“We should go, Sir,” Nathalie said nervously. “I think I heard a security alarm trip when I disconnected Adrien from the heart monitor.”_

_Gabriel cursed under his breath and tucked the files into a bag over his shoulder before grabbing the can of gasoline he’d set down on the desk. He dumped a little around the desk for good measure, pausing to look at the prone, unconscious figure in the floor. There was a small bit of blood dripping down from his temple where he’d hit his head against the corner of the desk during a scuffle with Gabriel. He was still breathing, but Gabriel wasn’t about to take any chances. He turned on his well-polished heel and marched towards the door, allowing some gasoline to spill out into the white tiled floor as he went. Nathalie was already waiting out in the hall, adjusting Adrien’s unconscious weight on her shoulder and Gabriel instructed her to make her way out of the facility as he trailed after her, looking back to make sure that there was a steady line of gasoline on the floor behind him._

_Once they were outside, Gabriel threw the gasoline container into the front door of the building and searched his pockets for the lighter he had brought with him. Before he had a chance to light it, Nathalie cleared her throat behind him; he spared her a glance over his shoulder._

_“Sir.. if I may...”_

_“What is it, Nathalie?” Gabriel asked curtly._

_“What exactly is the point in all of this?” she asked. “You told me what we were doing, but you never specified why.”_

_“It’s for Emilie,” Gabriel answered, turning back to the building. “To bring her back.”_

_“It’s just that… you already said you didn’t think Adrien was really back, despite this procedure,” Nathalie ventured carefully. “What makes you think that Emilie will be any different?”_

_Gabriel smirked in spite of himself, using his thumb to spark the lighter so that it stayed lit. He looked into the flames pensively, deciding that these were the flames of change._

_“It’ll be different because I’ll be doing it myself this time.”_

_And with that, he tossed the lighter into the open doorway where it ignited immediately, slowly engulfing Guardian Technology in flame._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There may be a delay before the next chapter (or maybe the one after; depends on how quickly chapter 8 writes itself); I'm going to be in China for two weeks and I'll be back early July. You can't bet your butts I'm going to be working on this while I'm away, but I probably won't be able to post because China has weird internet things going on.


	8. - Wistful S0UL -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marinette has a strange day...

The next day at the bakery had been a busy one. Summertime in Paris usually yielded a lot of tourists and while most usually stuck to the centre of town for their baked goods, there were those groups that like to wander off the beaten path to the more residential areas of the city and found themselves at Marinette’s parents’ bakery. She learned that some people had sought them out due to recommendations and someone even showed her that the establishment had been listed on a travel blogger’s suggestion post for “Hidden Gems in Paris that are Must Sees.” Marinette decided that once her parents got back from vacation, she'd suggest maybe hiring some new hands to help out over the summer if this business kept up.

By the time the end of the day rolled around and she was able to close up shop (a little earlier than usual due to the pre-posted holiday hours), all she wanted to do was curl up on the couch with Tikki and watch TV. However, she had some errands to run, and her favourite fabric store was having a sale; it would be a perfect time to work on the summer dress she had been thinking up ideas for over the last few weeks. Once she had finished cleaning up and prepped everything for the next morning, Marinette willed away her sleepiness and headed out the door to make her way into the city.

She spent a little longer than she thought in the fabric store, running her hands along the bolts of cloth to feel for the material she liked the most. Marinette pulled out her sketchbook to look over her design notes as she chose her fabric, and once she selected her preferred bolt (a lightweight, soft pink cotton) she made her way over to notions section to stock up on thread, buttons and clasps. With her purchases in hand, she made her way to the counter to cut her bolt of fabric (four metres would do, she decided) and to pay.

She decided to cut through the heart of the city on her way home to stop and grab a bite to eat at one of the cafes she liked to sit at while she sketched designs. As she made her way down the street, pulling out her phone every now and then to reply to texts from Luka and Alya, she realized that she was passing the newsstand that she’d noticed a week ago. She paused as she saw the headline of the paper that was still plastered across the front, talking about the shut down of the Gabriel fashion house and the tragedy that caused it. Marinette carefully stowed her phone away in her bag as she approached the stand, reaching for one of the papers and unfolding it so she could take a look at the black and white family portrait.

Marinette knew Gabriel Agreste was still alive, but no one had seen him for the last five years since the incident. Everyone assumed it was due to grief, and she could understand; she didn’t know what she’d do if she ever lost her whole family... and to lose a child. Marinette clearly wasn’t a parent but she couldn’t imagine the pain he was going through; losing both a wife and a son in one go due to someone’s selfishness was more than she could fathom.

Her eyes drifted from Gabriel Agreste’s face to the face of his son. Apparently, he had just started modelling for his father’s boys’ fashion line, but after his passing, all the prints from his shoots had been pulled before they could hit magazine circulation by Gabriel himself. There was a sense of familiarity to Adrien that Marinette couldn’t place, however; she knew she’d never seen him before, but there was something about his eyes that felt... warm. Comforting. She noticed that he shared the same eyes as his mother; in fact, he looked a lot like her, only keeping a little bit of Gabriel in his the broadness of his shoulders.

Marinette wondered what he would have been like if she ever got the opportunity to meet him. Would he have been in her class at school? Would they have become friends? She suddenly felt sad that he hadn’t had the chance to live, to grow and to experience life. Maybe she was feeling sentimental, but the heartache she felt was suddenly very profound. With a sigh, she folded the paper to place back on the stand when a commotion suddenly met her ears from a little farther down the street.

It was Chloé Bourgeois. She was having an argument with one of the stall owners, demanding something, and Marinette stepped forward to listen in, curiosity getting the better of her.

“Burn them for all I care!” Chloé was saying. “Just get rid of them! Everyone on this street should get rid of them! I can’t stand to see this stupid article anymore!”

The poor stall owner, who clearly knew nothing about what was going on, tried to placate Chloé by saying he had no control over what the papers printed. In typical Chloé fashion, she began to say something about her father and what he would have to say about this, but she couldn’t get the words out. Instead, she just burst into hysterical tears.

“M-mademoiselle?” The stall owner said awkwardly, clearly alarmed. Marinette knew she had to do something. As much as she and Chloé butted heads, she couldn’t leave her there like that.

“Oh, Chloé,” she said, rushing forward and gently touching her arm. To her great surprise, Chloé turned and started to sob into Marinette’s shoulder. She awkwardly patted her back as she gave the man behind the stall an awkward, sheepish smile.

“Please forgive her, sir,” Marinette said softly as Chloé wailed into her t-shirt. “The boy in the photograph of the article was a close friend of hers... she’s very torn up about his passing.”

“Oh dear,” the man said sympathetically. He went to go speak to Chloé, but she was inconsolable. So instead, he turned to Marinette and said, “Please tell your friend that I’m very sorry for her loss. There’s been no harm done.”

“Thank you,” Marinette said, not having the heart to correct him about the ‘friend’ comment. She carefully began to guide Chloé away from the stall. “Come on, Chloé... let’s go sit down for a little while, okay?”

Marinette found a secluded park away from the main part of the city. It was quiet; there were trees lining the fenced area and a fountain splashing merrily in the centre. It seemed to be deserted, which Marinette was thankful for; the fewer people who saw her with Chloé Bourgeois, the better. She managed to get her on a bench nestled between two trees so that they were in the shade. By the time they sat down, Chloé was a sniffing, hiccuping mess and was focusing on trying to take deep breaths. Marinette sat awkwardly next to her, fingers drumming on her knees as she glanced at the young woman next to her out of the corner of her eye. The silence stretched between them for a few moments, interrupted only by the sound of the fountain and Chloé’s sniffling. She pulled a handkerchief and her phone from her purse and dabbed at her eyes, trying to clean up some of the makeup that had smudged below her lash line before she fired off a brief text.

“Chloé,” Marinette started hesitantly as the girl next to her shoved her phone back in her bag with more force than necessary. “Are you... okay?”

“I’m fine.” Chloé replied. She tried to sound flippant and dismissive, but the intent was ruined by how miserable she clearly was.

“Are you sure?” Marinette continued. “I know we’re not... exactly friends, but if you want to talk about it...”

“I said I’m fine!” Chloé snapped, her voice stronger this time. “My best friend only died when we were kids and every stupid year since that day, I have to relive that moment every time I see that ridiculous article about the anniversary, but I am perfectly fine!”

Marinette didn’t say anything. She just watched as Chloé dabbed at her eyes again, taking a deep breath to steel herself before her lip started to tremble again. A fresh batch of tears started to roll down her cheeks and she gave another helpless sob as she slumped back into the bench, bringing her hand up to cover her eyes.

“He was supposed to come to our school,” Chloé said softly through her tears. She sniffed and looked up to take a deep breath, blinking rapidly. “He was so excited too; he’d been homeschooled and his mother finally convinced his father to let him attend public school. All he ever wanted to do was make friends.”

Chloé face became tight as she fought to hold back tears and she sucked in a deep shuddering breath.

“He was so _good_ ,” she said thickly. “He was kind and thoughtful and just so _good_. I don’t understand why the good people are the ones who are taken away.”

Marinette couldn’t think of anything to say. In all the years she had known Chloé, she had never really seen her be anything other than mean and callous. She realized that maybe the devastating loss of her friend was part of the reason for that. Chloé clearly struggled with it, if her outburst today was anything to go by. Marinette’s heart went out to her, but she didn’t know what to say or do that could help.

“Chloé,” she said softly, her fingers twisting in her lap. “I’m... I’m so sorry.”

“Chloé!” Someone called from a little further away, and Marinette looked up to see a familiar boy with a mop of red hair hurrying towards them. Of all the people she expected to see approaching them, he was definitely the last.

“Nathaniel?” Marinette asked. “What are you doing here?”

“Marinette,” he said, a little breathless. “Uh... Chloé texted me.”

He didn’t get a chance to say much else as Chloé wordlessly got up from her place on the bench and went over to him to press her face into his shoulder and he brought his arms up around her shoulders automatically, rubbing soothing circles on her back. Nathaniel glanced from Marinette to Chloé to Marinette again and asked, “You brought her here?”

“I ran into her at one of the newsstands,” Marinette said, getting up from the bench. “She was upset, and I didn’t want to leave her alone.”

“Thank you,” Nathaniel sighed gratefully. “This time of year is always hard.”

“I didn’t know you two were friends,” Marinette said.

“Oh,” Nathaniel chuckled softly. “Well, we’re actually—”

“We’re dating.” Chloé said flatly, her voice muffled by the material of Nathaniel’s jacket. She sounded mildly annoyed, Marinette noted.

“Oh,” Marinette said, surprised. “I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

“A lot of people don’t expect it,” Nathaniel said. “It’s okay. We kind of connected at the end of high school, stayed close all summer, and eventually just started dating during university.”

“Can we go?” Chloé suddenly asked. “I don’t want to stand around talking about us all day.”

“Yeah, Chlo, we can go,” Nathaniel said, shooting Marinette an apologetic look. She waved away his concern as he started to coax Chloé out of the park. “Seriously, thanks for staying with her, Marinette.”

“No problem,” she replied, giving them a slight wave.

“Wait,” Chloé said, pulling herself from Nathaniel. She turned back to Marinette and approached her, her eyes still red and puffy and her mascara still smudged under her eyes, but she appraised Marinette with a hard look. “This doesn’t make us friends. And you’d better not mention this to anyone.”

“I won’t, Chloé,” Marinette said. She suddenly discovered she couldn’t find it in herself to be annoyed by her usual antics. “I promise.”

“Good.” Chloé said dismissively. She gave Marinette one last look that was hard to read before she reached up to put the sunglasses that were sitting on her head on her face and she turned on the heel of her designer flats and marched away towards Nathaniel without a second glance. Nathaniel gave Marinette a kind wave as he followed after his girlfriend.

Marinette left the opposite way to go home, thinking about the afternoon she’d just had. For a reason she couldn’t place, she felt guilty. Once high school had finished, she’d been more than content to never see Chloé again for as long as she lived; the girl had made Marinette’s life a living hell throughout their school days and she’d been so wrapped up in how much she bemoaned her bad luck at always being in Chloé’s class that she never once stopped to think about why Chloé had been the way she was. Marinette had always thought Chloé was just a mean-spirited person and had basically invented the definition of schadenfreude; she took great delight in other people’s misfortune. However, Marinette was beginning to think that maybe Chloé wasn’t as mean-spirited as she thought; maybe she’d just been so sad all these years that she just didn’t want to keep people close out of fear of losing them and didn’t know how to handle her emotions.

Marinette shook her head. She needed to stop thinking about this; Chloé was safe with Nathaniel now, so she knew she wouldn’t get herself into any more trouble for today, and she had some new fabric that needed washing before she ironed it out and started cutting out her pattern pieces. She started mulling over what kind of seams or embroidery she wanted to add to her dress, design ideas taking up her thoughts. As she rounded the corner to the bakery, she noticed a familiar mop of blue hair waiting by the door, his back to her and she stopped in surprise for a moment.

“Luka?” Marinette asked as she approached.

He turned at the sound of her voice and greeted her with a huge smile, eagerly going over to meet her.

“Hey, babe,” he said, leaning down to kiss her briefly before pulling her into a hug. “How did your day go?”

“It went fine, thanks,” she said, hugging him back. “What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

Luka held up a white plastic bag with what looked like takeout boxes that Marinette hadn’t noticed him holding.

“I figured I’d surprise you with dinner,” he said. “I know how busy the bakery can get, and I didn’t think you’d want to cook after dealing with that all day.”

“You’re the best,” Marinette said with a fond smile, craning up to kiss Luka on the cheek before she led him to the door. 

Hours later, with her fabric washed and hanging up to dry and their stomachs full of some of the best Thai food she’s ever eaten, Marinette and Luka were snuggled up on the couch watching _Amélie_. It was one of her favourites due to the bright colours and unique and interesting costume design; the whole film was an artistic spectacle. Marinette lay with her head resting on Luka’s chest while his fingers idly combed through her hair, and they sat in a comfortable, happy silence. Well… Marinette was comfortable; Luka’s heart rate seemed to be going a mile a minute.

“Are you okay?” Marinette suddenly asked, lifting her head to look her boyfriend in the eye.

Luka cleared his throat, shifting slightly on the couch to get more comfortable. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Marinette pressed, raising a brow. “I can hear your heart going crazy.”

“It’s not going _crazy_ ,” Luka grumbled.

Marinette put her hand on the left side of his chest for emphasis, and his heart rate seemed to speed up under her palm. She simply raised her brows at him, a smirk slowly forming on her face and she poked him lightly in the ribs.

“You want to tell me what’s going on?” She asked.

“Nothing’s going on,” Luka insisted, but his nervous chuckle gave him away.

“Luka,” Marinette said, a disproving tone to her voice.

“Marinette, I swear that everything—”

“ _Luka.”_

He groaned. “ _Everything_ is fi—”

“Luka Couffaine, you better tell me what’s going on this insta—”

 _“I’m falling in love with you,”_ He suddenly blurted. Marinette froze, her brain trying to comprehend the words he’d practically just shouted at her. Luka chuckled awkwardly as he scratched his cheek, glancing down at his lap. “Sorry, that… wasn’t exactly the way I wanted to say it. I was imagining something a little more… _cool._ ”

Marinette just blinked, shaking her head slightly as if that would clear the fog that suddenly decided to cloud her brain.

“Wait…” she said slowly. “ _What_?”

Luka took a deep breath before he met her gaze. He gave her a gentle smile before saying softly, “I’m falling in love with you.”

He shifted on the couch so that he was facing her and took her hand in his. Lacing his fingers through hers, he said, “You’ve… made really happy these last few months, Marinette. I love how we can talk and laugh together, but I also like how we can sit in silence and just… _be._ I’ve never felt so secure with anyone before, and… I’m definitely falling in love with you.”

Marinette didn’t know what to say. She looked down at their clasped hands for probably longer than she should have and she could feel Luka’s nervousness. He started to try and pull his hand away.

“But I mean… if you don’t feel the same—”

Marinette just leaned up and kissed him. She wasn’t very good with words, she knew; she was more of a doer, not a talker, and she hoped that her kiss would be enough to convince him of her feelings. After a moment, she pulled away, and Luka hesitantly met her gaze. She gently brushed her nose against his and gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

“You’ve made me really happy, too,” she said softly.

Luka smiled and leaned in to kiss her again, bringing his free hand up to run them through her hair, and Marinette sighed into the kiss. She cared for Luka very much; he _did_ make her happy, and she _did_ feel secure whenever she was with him. He was sweet and kind to her in every way possible, sometimes more than she thought she deserved.

However, when it came to love? Marinette wasn’t sure if she was ready to say that just yet.

 

* * *

**— 01101110 - 01100101 - 01111000 - 01110100 —  
**

* * *

**\- system diagnostic: ... in progress -**

 

That tinkling laughter...

The swish of the white dress in the breeze... 

‘ _Princess..._ ’

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 80% -  
**

 

He had a name for her now. Something to call her.

It made him long to reach out and touch her all the more. He wanted to grasp her hand, to feel her.

He _needed_ to feel her...

 

**\- system vitals: ... climbing -**

 

What would happen if only he could just touch her? To feel her fingers against his?

Would he wake up?

Would the world come back into focus?

He blinked, and the white world disappeared again; replaced by that inky blackness edged with green.

He suddenly felt panicked.

 

**\- system vitals: ... climbing -**

 

He could hear faint beeping, a sound that steadily began to pick up in intensity, accompanied by voices in the distance.

There were a few of them.

He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but through the black fog, he thought he could see them.

White figures, blurred, moving in front of his vision…

 

**\- stabilization: ... in progress -**

**\- standing by... -**

 

A sudden drowsiness seemed to take over him like a wave, and he closed his eyes, trying to will it away.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the white space, and the voices stopped.

The beeping disappeared.

 

**\- standing by... -**

 

All he could see was the sunlight glowing in inky black hair, the breeze flowing through the skirts of her white dress.

That faint tinkling laughter…

 

**\- standing by… -**

 

She turned to look at him then. He still couldn’t quite make out her face, but her eyes…

Those bluebell eyes were so in focus.

Any anxiety he seemed to feel suddenly melted away and he felt at peace.

 

**\- system vitals: ... stabilized -**

 

He sighed and allowed himself to relax.

The darkness slowly faded in again, but it was peaceful.

He knew that when he woke up again, he would see her.

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 81.4% -**

 

He would see his Princess…

 

**\- system reboot: ... standing by -**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am leaving for China in two days after posting this! I may not be able to reply to any messages or post any updates, but I'm still working on this, and I may have TWO (yes, TWO) chapters for you by the time I've returned to Canada. 
> 
> We're so close to the end of Phase One, guys.
> 
> I'm so jazzed for you to read the rest. :D


	9. - Unyielding S0UL -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the story is only just beginning...

_“I have to admit, Gabriel; it’s certainly… impressive.”_

_Gabriel stood off to the side as a man with neatly-combed blond hair looked idly around the cavernous, dimly-lit room, his hands pushed into the pockets of his black slacks. He walked casually as he took in the area with keen blue-grey eyes, a combination of perplexity and indifference beginning to form on his otherwise expressionless face. He absently brought a hand up to adjust the cufflinks on his grey dress shirt, paired with a black tie under a matching vest._

_The room they were in was still under construction; steel beams were set in organized chaos against one wall while a stack of state-of-the-art computers, still in their boxes, rested against another. The general emptiness caused the man’s perfectly polished black shoes to click loudly throughout the room, the sound echoing off the high ceilings and making the space seem bigger than it was._

_“It’s not just impressive, Felix,” Gabriel said, clasping his hands behind his back. “It’s_ miraculous _.”_

 _“Ah yes; you mentioned that on the phone,” Felix said, turning to look at Gabriel with that carefully composed look of indifference. “So what exactly is so ‘_ miraculous _’ about this space?”_

_“I’m going to turn it into a lab,” Gabriel said._

_“A_ lab _?” Felix repeated in disbelief. He gave a low, wry chuckle as he wandered over to the only table in the centre of the room before idly leafing through the files that lay on its surface. “Admittedly that’s not at all what I would expect from you, Gabriel. I would have thought a warehouse or a large designing studio, maybe even a factory of some kind, but a_ lab _?”_

_Gabriel couldn’t help but smile wryly and nodded to the files on the table. “Take a look at those documents.”_

_“I am,” Felix said, opening one up for emphasis as he leaned against the table. He arched a brow as he looked at the pages inside and glanced back up at Gabriel. “Did you plan on ‘_ miraculously’ _becoming fluent in Mandarin?”_

_“I’ve hired a translator,” Gabriel said simply._

_“Yes, but why?” Felix asked though he sounded like he could really care less as he flipped through the pages. “Planning on opening up a partnership with a Chinese fashion house?”_

_“Those files contain the formula for bringing someone back to life.”_

_Felix paused and fixed Gabriel with a hard look, closing the file that was currently in his hands._

_“You’re not really still on about that,” Felix said in disbelief. When Gabriel simply looked back at him, unwavering, he placed the file back on the table with a resigned sigh before crossing his arms. “Gabriel... I know how much you loved Emilie. I loved her, too; losing my twin_ and _my nephew is not a loss I’ve taken lightly. What happened to her was devastating, but... we both need to accept the fact that she’s gone. She and Adrien aren’t coming back.”_

_“That’s where you’re wrong, Felix,” Gabriel said and made his way over to a far corner of the room that was completely shrouded in darkness. He moved deliberately, not waiting for Felix to follow. Despite his brother-in-law’s carefully composed facade of disinterest, Gabriel knew Felix was curious by nature and couldn’t resist getting to the bottom of things; it was one of the few traits that Emilie had shared with her twin. The two were like night and day. While Emilie had been like the sun, warm and bright and inviting, Felix was like the moon; cold, mysterious and reserved._

_Gabriel stopped in front of a large object that was about nine feet tall and covered with a tarp. There was a faint green glow from beneath the material, the eerie light finding its way through a few holes in the fabric, and if one were to listen closely, they could hear the very faint sound of bubbling. Gabriel heard the click of Felix’s shoes behind him as his fingers grasped around the tarp and he smiled to himself, knowing that Felix’s naysaying would finally come to an end. He pulled the tarp away from the structure with a flourish, allowing it drop to the ground, and he heard Felix’s sharp intake of breath at the sight before him._

_Gabriel looked at the scene with a feeling of pride._

_Felix looked at it with a mixture of awe and horror, his face no longer composed into his mask of indifference._

_Beneath the tarp was a large glass cylinder, filled with a bubbling. transparent green liquid. Suspended in the cylinder by wires connected to his chest and limbs was Adrien; an oxygen mask covered his mouth and nose, and the only indication that he was breathing was the bubbles that occasionally expelled themselves through the filter._

_“Gabriel, what have you done?” Felix asked in an almost hushed voice._

_“What no one else would be brave enough to do,” Gabriel said. “Dr Fu of Guardian Technologies put everything into motion, but he’s weak; he wasn’t willing to go the extra mile. I am. I’ve taken over his research and I’m going to perfect it. This is only the beginning.”_

_“You’ve toyed with nature,” Felix said, turning to look at Gabriel. “You’ve turned my family - your family - into a... a... science experiment!”_

_“Do you want to see Emilie alive again, or not?” Gabriel raised his voice, rounding on Felix. “Isn’t that what she deserves? To walk in the sunshine again and enjoy what should have been the rest of her life instead of buried six feet under and left to rot?”_

_“I made my peace with it, Gabriel,” Felix said, his voice getting slightly louder. “You should, too. Emilie would rather be at peace than to see that you’ve turned her son into some kind of test tube specimen! What would she say if she saw this?”_

_“I’m doing this for her!” Gabriel yelled. “Adrien’s body was just the beginning. I’ve hired the best team of doctors and scientists to do the procedure that brought it back to life and we’ll do the same procedure on her. I already have her body in cryogenic state, ready to go; once the lab is finished, we’ll get started and I’ll have the scientists begin work on the chip that will revive her soul. Dr Nooroo will remove the chip from Adrien’s body and perfect the code to make sure that it’s truly_  her _soul, not a pale imitation.”_

_“Wait, wait, wait,” Felix said, holding up a hand. “You’re saying that Adrien has already been revived? You’re going to remove his soul from his body?”_

_“The soul that’s in there now is a fake, Felix,” Gabriel said. “This is Adrien’s body, but this isn’t my son. Once I’m sure Emilie is truly alive, truly herself, I’ll work on fixing Dr Fu’s mistakes with Adrien. But for now, his body and the chip it houses is the key to getting my wife back.”_

_Felix shook his head, his eyes narrowed in disbelief as he surveyed Gabriel with a look of thinly veiled contempt._

_“You’ve lost your mind, Gabriel,” he said softly as he looked back up at the unconscious form of Adrien suspended in the glass cylinder._

_“On the contrary,” Gabriel answered softly. “Things have never seemed so clear.”_

_He turned away from both Adrien and Felix without a second glance at either and began to cross the room to look out the lone large window just as the light of dawn began to touch the floor. It was a large circular window with an ornate frame that gave the glass an impression of a butterfly._

_“I’m starting a new business venture, Felix,” he called back, his voice echoing throughout the room as he stepped into a patch of sunlight. “Once this project succeeds, I’ll patent it and sell it to the highest bidders. Soon enough, everyone will owe their lives to_ HawkMoth Industries _.”_

 

* * *

**— 01101110 - 01100101 - 01111000 - 01110100 —**

* * *

 

The lab was moving like clockwork. Scientists, doctors, surgeons, even military grade security… all the people under Gabriel Agreste’s employ were working around the clock to fulfil his wish. Money was no object to him, it seemed; he paid everyone handsomely, but also expected long, tireless hours in return. Everyone was overworked and overrun, and it was evident on their faces.

Medical doctors set up their research area on one side of the large lab that had been finished construction for quite some time now. Scientists and technical geniuses were typing away on computers on the other side, trying to streamline the code that Dr Fu had originally written. Translators poured over the files written in Mandarin in crammed desks pushed into the middle of the space and the security stood like sentries along the perimeter to make sure that no one walked away with any of the very sensitive documentation that resided there.

Along the back wall, surrounded by files and papers and various amounts of equipment, sat a very tired, very thin looking Dr Nooroo. His hair was dishevelled, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his sweaty nose, and he was staring at his computer screen with his head propped up by his hands, looking at the technical report he had just received. Next to his desk, standing like a large, ominous obelisk that emitted an eerie green glow, was Adrien’s cryotank. He was still alive, still asleep, and still under heavy testing as Nooroo tried to gather as much information from the chip as he could _without_ removing it from the boy’s body. 

Gabriel Agreste had been completely dismissive of his son’s life in the beginning, thinking that once his wife was revived, they could revive Adrien again with no problems. However, it was when Nooroo found the courage to speak up and say that once the chip was removed, it was permanent, that things changed. Not with Gabriel, however; it was his brother in law that had put his foot down and had threatened legal action should the chip ever be removed from the boy’s body.

_“So help me, Gabriel, I will make sure you are thrown behind bars for murder if I find that he’s been killed!”_

Felix Leblond, quiet as he was, was a scary man when he was angry, Nooroo decided. Perhaps even scarier then Gabriel himself, but Felix seemed to be the only one to check in and actually care about the _people_ over the _process;_ Nooroo definitely favoured him.

He glanced up from his computer screen to observe the motionless form in the tank, his chest feeling tight and guilt settling in his stomach like a weight. The poor boy has essentially been in a coma for the last few years, the time evident in his height and frame. The wires connected throughout his body kept his muscles from becoming atrophied, delivering small shocks of electricity to the nerves so as to keep them in use. Despite being thin and having not seen the light of day for so long, medical reports showed he was the picture of health. The technical report, however, said that recreating the MiracuS0UL technology would be very difficult without the chip isolated. This was very bad news... Nooroo knew this would undoubtedly be a source of conflict, and he felt sick with dread.

Isolating the chip meant having to remove it.

Removing it meant Adrien’s death.

When Nooroo had signed on to help Dr Fu with this project, he did so with the intention of helping people. The last thing he ever expected was being forced to work for a madman who was willing to destroy his son’s life for his own gains.

“How’s it coming, Nooroo?” a soft voice said behind him, causing Nooroo to jump out of his skin. The voice may have been quiet but it certainly didn’t lack that commanding tone that he had come to grow fearful of.

“M-Mr Agreste!” Nooroo stammered, standing abruptly to face the madman in question and nearly knocking over a half-empty cup of cold coffee in the process. Gabriel stood like a towering statue before him, hands clasped primly behind his back while Nathalie stood a step behind, typing something down on her tablet. Nooroo cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses on his face and forcing his hands not to tremble.

“U-um,” Nooroo started, wringing his hands together nervously. “W-well... reports of Adrien’s health are good; he is still strong, i-if not a... a _l-little_  undernourished, but—“

“I mean, how is progress coming in the chip?” Gabriel interrupted in a low voice.

“Oh.” Nooroo said. “That. W-well, um... you see... the thing is...”

“Get on with it, Nooroo,” Gabriel said, narrowing his eyes.

“We’ve reached a bit of a... snag,” Nooroo said lamely.

“A snag?” Gabriel repeated.

Nooroo gulped. He knew it would be best to just get on with it and be honest, but he knew how explosive Gabriel’s anger could be.

“I’m afraid I’ve... done all I can, Sir,” Nooroo ventured carefully. “As long as the chip remains inside Adrien, I can’t... extract any more information about it... not without... taking it out.”

There was a long pause.

“So take it out,” Gabriel said simply, uncaring.

Even Nathalie’s head snapped in alarm at his response.

“S-sir?” Nooroo squeaked.

“Take the chip out,” Gabriel said more firmly this time.

“B-b-but—“

“With all due respect, Sir,” Nathalie said, stepping forward. Gabriel turned just slightly to listen. “Your brother-in-law’s claim is still in effect; if anything were to happen to Adrien’s life during this process, the entire project will be shut down. I’m not sure if that’s something you’re willing to risk.”

Gabriel sighed and rolled his eyes so far back in his head Nooroo could see white. He then brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses, releasing a hard exhale to keep calm.

“ _Damn_ Felix and his _damn_ legal threat...” he grumbled. "For _five years_ he's been getting in the way of things..."

Nooroo could sense the beginnings of a tantrum. Gabriel Agreste was not above throwing things around or damaging property; he had the money to replace anything he wanted, after all. Even so, a Gabriel-level tantrum would set them back weeks, maybe even months, and then he’d be even more upset... Nooroo shivered at the memory of his last outburst, shaking it from his mind as Gabriel began asking Nathalie how to get out of threatened legal action.

Nooroo wracked his mind, trying to come up with different valuables and options in his mind as Gabriel’s voice steadily started to grow louder. Nathalie flushed and began typing something on her tablet to try and find the answer. He thought back to the procedures he had helped with, working backwards in his brain, and there was a distinct memory of Dr Fu clicking the chip into place, Adrien jerking back to life—

Maybe there was another way.

“I think,” Nooroo said softly, interrupting Gabriel and Nathalie’s conversation. “I can work around it.”

Nathalie glanced nervously from Gabriel to Nooroo and back again as Gabriel’s steely eyes appraised him with a look of chilling interest.

“How do you propose you do that, Nooroo?” He asked with his voice at a controlled level again. It made Nooroo feel sick.

“I think... I know a way to study the chip,” he said, shakily pushing his glasses up his nose. “Without completely removing it.”

“Completely?” Gabriel repeated.

Nooroo gulped and nodded.

“We’ll have to prepare him for another surgery.” He said softly.

Oh, what was he getting himself into?

 

* * *

**— 01101110 - 01100101 - 01111000 - 01110100 —**

* * *

 

  **\- system diagnostic: ... in progress -**

 

He was used to seeing that warm white surrounding him, but when he came to, he was still in darkness.

 

It pressed in on him, heavy against his body, and he felt sluggish as he tried to shake the drowsiness from his head.

 

The darkness stayed a little longer this time...

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 90% -**

 

He tried to open his eyes but found them too heavy.

 

His ears, however, seemed to be picking up a lot. He could hear distant voices. Lots of them. Some familiar, most not… he didn’t care to listen, though. He had more pressing matters.

 

He tried to blink his eyes, and suddenly that whiteness surrounded him again.

 

He saw her. She was there.

 

And much closer this time.

 

_‘Princess…'_

 

**\- system vitals: ... stable -**

 

She was closer than she’d ever been. He could see her so clearly now. 

 

If he wanted to, he could reach out and touch her face.

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 92.3% -**

 

As the darkness began to creep in at the edges of his vision, he felt a sudden surge of determination that he hadn’t felt before.

 

He wanted to find her. He was _going_ to find her.

 

And soon.

 

 **\- system reboot: ... standing by -**  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry for such a delayed chapter update! I was writing this while I was in China, but I ended up having to restructure a majority of what I wrote, and I wasn't happy with it, and China was busy... Then I got sick as soon as I got home, and I've been slowly trying to sort out my life and deal with jet lag.
> 
> But I've been plugging away at this, and now we're getting to the good stuff! This concludes Phase 1 of this fic.
> 
> Chapter 10 will launch Phase 2.
> 
> Thank you eternally for reading and commenting! I appreciate your comments so much. <3


	10. - Persevering S0UL -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien awakens...

It started with voices.

At first, they sounded far away and distorted, a collection of muffled sounds that did nothing more than irritate him. Why wouldn’t they stop? His head felt so heavy and tired... all he wanted to do was go back to sleep.

But then he remembered his Princess.

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 94.8% -**

**\- system vitals: ... stable -**

**\- system reboot: ... standing by -**

 

His fingers twitched; the first sense of movement he felt in his body in a very long time, and it seemed to send a jolt of adrenaline right to his brain.

Slowly, he tested small parts of his body, a shift in his shoulders here, a wiggle of his toes there... every movement seemed to give him some leverage as he clawed his way out of the haze that he realized was clouding his brain.

_‘How long have I been asleep...?’_

The voices were starting to get a little louder, to the point he could start making out what they were saying.

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 95.2% -**

**\- system vitals: ... stable -**

**\- system reboot: ... standing by -**

 

“Are we ready?” A low, almost cold voice said.

“Yes sir, Mr Agreste,” a smaller, more timid voice said. The name sparked something in his brain and he strained his ears to listen. “The surgeons have their station prepped for the procedure. He’ll remain sedated while we access the chip.”

“Good,” the cold voice of Mr Agreste spoke again. “I have a meeting with investors, so I’ll leave this in your hands Nooroo; do not let me down.”

“Of course not, sir,” Nooroo‘s small voice squeaked.

He tried to understand what they were saying while simultaneously trying to figure out why their names sounded familiar. Especially Agreste. That name gave him a strange sort of drive and carried a hefty sense of weight to it for a reason he couldn’t seem to place... where had he heard it before?

Then his brain suddenly clicked at something the man named Nooroo said.

_Surgeons. Procedure. Access. Chip._

Something in him stirred, and he could actually hear the blood beginning to pound in his ears.

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 96% -**

**\- system vitals: ... stabl— -**

**\- system vitals: ... climbing -**

**\- stabilization: ... in progress -**

 

He didn’t know if he fully understood the connotations of what they were saying, but it gave him a very strong sense of foreboding. Something else in his brain clicked, another memory seeming to spark out of nowhere.

_‘Protect your heart...’_

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 97.9% -**

**\- system vitals: ... climbing -**

**\- stabilization: ... in progress -**

**\- standing by... -**

**\- system reboot: ... standing by -**

 

All he suddenly seemed to care about was self-preservation.

He actually felt his body jerk rather violently as he tried to move, his fight or flight instinct kicking in, but his limbs felt like lead and wouldn’t budge.

Why couldn’t he move?

  

**\- diagnostic at: ... 98.4% -**

**\- system vitals: ... climbing -**

**\- stabilization: ... in progress -**

**\- system vitals: ... climbing -**

 

_‘I need to get out of here._

_Now.’_

The pounding in his ears was getting louder, the voices fading into the background. He didn’t care what they were saying anyway; he’d heard enough. Their intentions were clear and it would put his life on the line.

It felt like his body was in sleep paralysis; he was suddenly very aware of his surroundings, could hear a faint bubbling sound, could feel little bubbles of air brushing against his cheek as he breathed.

Was that an oxygen mask he was wearing? Yes, it was.

How long had that been there for?

 

**\- system vitals: ... climbing -**

**\- stabilization: ... in progress -**

**\- standing by... -**

 

 

The feeling of lead in his body was making his heart beat wildly, the pounding nearly deafening as he fought to take deep breaths to calm himself.

There was no sense in panicking. If he calmed down, he would be able to move. That’s how it worked, right? 

He focused on breathing deeply through his nose, but the anxiety continued to nag at his mind.

_Get out, get out, get out._

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 98.6%**

**\- system vitals: ... climbing -**

**\- stabilization: ... in progress -**

**\- standing by... -**

**\- standing by... -**

 

“Dr Nooroo,” an unfamiliar woman’s voice said nearby. Her voice still sounded distorted, like he was hearing it from underwater (wasn’t he underwater?), but he strained to listen. “The OR has been prepped; should we take him in now?”

 _No, no, no._  

“As soon as I’m sure my equipment is ready to go,” Dr Nooroo replied, his voice sounding rather far away. “Once I’m set up in the room, we can empty the tank and take him in.”

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 98.7%**

**\- system vitals: ... climbi— -**

**\- warning: system vitals reaching critical levels -**

**\- stabilization: ... in progress -**

**\- standing by... -**

**\- system reboot: ... standing by -**

 

He fought to move again.

He was like stone, heavy and immobile, and he cursed the prison his body had become.

_‘Come on... move...’_

He tried breathing deeply again. They hadn’t seemed to notice that he was cognizant, aware of what was going on. Maybe if they did—

_No._

Something in his mind told him to not let on that he was awake until the very last minute. He needed to bide his time.

_Wait._

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 98.9% -**

**\- warning: system vitals reaching critical levels -**

**\- stabilization: ... in progress -**

**\- system reboot: ... standing by -**

 

“The system update is nearly complete,” Dr Nooroo’s voice said. “Dr Duusu, could you double check the sedative, please? Have it prepared as soon as the solution drains from the tank so that we can make sure he stays under?”

“Of course,” a voice replied. 

He couldn’t make out a gender, but he realized he didn’t care. They were planning on keeping him sedated for as long as possible.

His attempt to try breathing deeply wasn’t working.

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 99.6% -**

**\- warning: system vitals reaching critical lev— -**

**\- warning: system vitals critical -**

**\- stabilization: ... in progress -**

**\- system reboot: ... standing by -**

 

The panic was beginning to set in, and still, his body wouldn’t move.

He willed it to move, begged in his mind for his limbs to listen to him.

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 99.7% -**

**\- warning: system vitals critical -**

**\- stabilization: ... in progress -**

**\- system reboot: ... standing by -**

 

Through the haze of panic in his brain, he thought he heard the faint sound of musical laughter...

He stopped struggling.

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 99.8% -**

**\- warning: system vitals critical -**

**\- stabilization: ... in progress -**

**\- system reboot: ... standing by -**  

 

That’s right...

‘ _Princess_...’

That’s who all this was for, wasn’t? He was meant to find her.

However, while the thought of the girl in the white dress normally calmed him, he found he was more anxious than ever; he _needed_ to find her, but the challenges stacked against him made him worry he never would...

No. He couldn’t think like that.

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 99.9% -**

**\- warning: system vitals critical -**

**\- warning: system failure imminent -**

**\- stabilization: ... failing -**

**\- system reboot: ... standing by -**

 

He was going to find her. That was his new driving force. 

Get out of here...

Escape whatever this place was... 

Find his Princess.

 

**\- diagnostic at: ... 100% -**

**\- diagnostic: complete -**

**\- commencing system shut down -**

 

A strange wave of calm suddenly washed over him and the anxiety in his brain fell silent. He was just left with his thoughts, now significantly calmer.

His mission was clear. He knew what he had to do.

 

**\- system reboot: ... commencing -**

**\- standing by... -**

**\- system reboot: in progress -**

 

He quieted his mind. He focused on breathing.

He paid attention to nothing but the silence of his tank and the sound of his own heartbeat, now slower.

He listened to the distant sounds of the people outside of the tank he was currently in. 

He was aware of the water surrounding him, keeping him buoyant.

 _‘Wait...’_ he told himself as his body begged to flee. _‘Not yet...’_

 

**\- system restart in: ... -**

**\- ... 3 ... -**

 

“Everything’s seems prepped,” Nooroo’s voice was saying. “Final check; is everyone ready?”

“All ready, Dr Nooroo,” various voices chimed in response.

“Excellent,” Nooroo said. “Let’s get started.”

He thought he heard his own heart stutter with nervousness, but he managed to get himself under control.

 _‘Not_ yet _...’_

 

**\- ... 2 ... -**

 

He was aware of a lot of shuffling about the room, just beyond the confines of the tank. It sounded like people were getting into position.

“We’re going to drain the solution,” someone called right next to his head. “Standby.”

He exhaled deeply through his nose.

_‘Just a little longer...’_

 

**\- ... 1 ... -**

 

He could hear the water beginning to drain from the tank through the vents in the bottom, just below his feet.

Still, he waited...

_‘A bit more...’_

 

**\- system reboot: successful -**

 

It was close.

“Bring the gurney in!” Someone else called. He stopped paying attention to who the voices belonged to; he didn’t care. “We’ll wheel him directly through to the OR.”

' _Hold...’_

 

**\- system status: online -**

 

“Have the sedative ready,” Dr Nooroo said.

A weight seemed to be lifted from his body and he suddenly realized he had full control of his limbs. He wiggled his toes discreetly, pleased to feel that there was no resistance, that everything was cooperating. That meant only one thing.

' _Now.’_

 

 **\- self-defence protocol: engaged -**    
****

He was barely aware of the feeling of glass shattering around his hand as he suddenly punched at the tank. The liquid surrounding him spilt a bit from the opening as soon as he pulled his hand back, not caring that a few splinters of glass nicked at his skin. He pulled his arm back and punched again, causing the rest of the glass to shatter in webs across the surface of the tank. One well-placed kick caused it to shatter outwards against the ground, and the weightless feeling of being suspended in liquid suddenly vanished with a whoosh of gravity, and he felt himself falling forward, the cables attached to his limbs releasing from his skin like leeches. He used his hands to brace the fall, small shards of glass cutting into his palms, but he didn’t feel it; he had too much adrenaline pumping through his veins.

 

**\- cooldown: engaging -**

 

He sat panting for a moment, needing to catch his breath; the exertion was far more than he was expecting. There was a pregnant silence in the space as everything came to a pause. As he focused on sucking in deep breaths of air through the oxygen mask that was still resting on his face, the people around the room stood frozen in shock, and it was if the world came to a grinding halt. 

 

He lifted his head just enough to peer around the room. Doctors and scientists stood in a sea of white lab coats, making a perimeter around him. A few stood far back, confusion etched on their faces as they tried to crane their necks to take a look at him. The ones that were in front and saw him fall from the tank were all wide-eyed and slack-jawed, one paused with a needle in his hand and another paused with a gurney. Around the perimeter of the room were what looked like military SWAT personnel, all ready to jump into action but were unsure how to proceed.

 

**\- path: blocked -**

**\- probability of success: 10% -**

**\- preconstruct escape -**

 

It took him about three seconds to process his surroundings, his eyes darting around the room to assess the situation. He ran through the variables in his head at lightning speed, figuring out what would work and what wouldn’t. Once he was sure he had a handle on the situation, he suddenly jumped to his feet, pulling the mask from his face.

 

**\- escape engaged -**

 

At that moment, everything seemed to start up at once. Doctors who didn’t want to be in the fray quickly scrambled out of the way while others made a move to grab him. The one with the syringe filled with what he guessed was sedative moved to come up behind him, and he turned and used the oxygen mask to hit said doctor upside the head, sending him falling to the ground unconscious. It was then that the military personnel moved in, cocking their guns. It was like he moved without thinking. Every movement was fluid, every dodge, duck, punch and kick was executed with precise accuracy as if he’d been training all his life to do this. Had he? Who was he before this moment? It was like he could see every move before it happened and was able to counter it, all without injuring his attackers. If anything, he wanted to leave them alive.

When he finally stopped to catch the barrel of a gun, effortlessly twisting it out of the soldier’s hands and causing him to lose his balance, he glanced up at the large, vast window beginning to shine with the golden rays of morning, and he knew he found his escape route. 

 

**\- escape route: found -**

**\- height: approximately 9 feet -**

**\- probability of success: 38% -**

 

Throwing the gun to the side, he managed to duck out of the way of another oncoming military officer looking to tackle him, and used his momentum to knock him into another few officers, causing them all to tumble like bowling pins, before summoning all of his energy and jumping as high as he could to grab onto the ledge of the large circular window.

 

**\- accessing: ... strength parameters -**

**\- strength enhanced -**

**\- probability of success: 46% -**

 

He managed to just catch the window ledge with his hands, using his bare feet to help hoist himself up so that he was hanging off by his elbows. He heard some yelling down below, something that sounded like an order, and soon enough, a barrage of bullets were flying at him in rapid succession. 

 

**\- WARNING: DANGER -**

**\- find cover -**

**\- assessing damage... -**

 

He dodged out of the way by swinging up onto the ledge, one of the bullets lodging themselves into his forearm and causing him to almost lose his grip on the window ledge.

 

**\- non-life threatening damage sustained -**

**\- damage at: 10% -**

**\- mobility may be hindered -**

 

He gritted his teeth as he forced himself to use his injured arm, hissing through his teeth as the weight of his body caused the pain to worsen. Once he felt stable on the ledge again, he glanced up and saw that the bullets did manage to break part of the window.

 

**\- path: partially opened -**

**\- probability of success: 52% -**

**\- caution: could sustain more damage -**

 

“Don’t shoot!” A voice that sounded like Nooroo’s yelled. “We need him alive!”

The bullets gradually stopped and he took the opportunity to haul himself up onto the ledge, his feet finding enough purchase to balance himself so he could use his elbow to break in the damaged pane of the window.

 

**\- caution: damaged sustained -**

**\- damage at: 11% -**

**\- path: opened -**

**\- probability of success: 69% -**

 

His body seemed to propel him forward without thinking. He quickly calculated the distance from the window to the ground, how much the force would be, and after he decided he could make it, he leapt from the window without hesitation without even looking back into the room.

It was quite the fall downwards, about eight or nine feet. The windows were very large in the basement and the ceilings were very high, and the descent from the ledge to the ground knocked the wind out of him a little bit. He managed to tuck and roll, using his momentum to cushion his fall in the grass that had clearly been left to overgrow for a very long time, but he was grateful for the somewhat soft landing. Once he stopped rolling, tucking into a crouched position, he glanced back at the window he had just jumped from before hearing the sounds of yelling come from around the corner of the house, where he presumed the front door was and quickly glanced around to try and find his next exit.

 

**\- enemies in pursuit -**

**\- preconstructing escape route -**

 

If he ran for the gate guarding the property, he’d be intercepted and caught.

 

**\- simulation: failed -**

 

If he tried to go around the back of the house, he was sure there was a high probability of some of them sneaking around that way, too; he’d be caught.

 

**\- probability of simulation success: less than 20% -**

 

He stood up from his crouched position in the ground, and looked around, trying to figure out where to go, before his eyes settled on a tree stump near the wrought iron fence surrounding the property.

 

**\- preconstructing... -**

**\- escape route detected -**

**\- probability of success: 86% -**

 

It was better than nothing.

Without hesitation, he scrambled to his feet and sprinted, using his speed to take a running leap onto the tree stump and using his momentum to swing up and grab at the fence, scaling it. Just as he was about to leap over the side, the armed guards showed up.

“There he is!” Someone shouted.

“Get to the gate!” Someone else yelled. “Go around and cut him off!”

He was already leaping off the fence and dropping to the ground by the time the order rang out. He leapt up from his crouched landing, quickly surveying his surroundings and making sure the coast was clear before sprinting down the road and slipping into an enclosed back alleyway to catch his breath.

He was free.

And now all he had to do was find his Princess.

 

* * *

  **— 01101110 — 01100101 — 01111000 — 01110100 —**

* * *

 

“What do you mean, he’s GONE?” Gabriel demanded, raising his voice.

It was hours later, after the incident, and Nooroo was still in a state of shock, his face pale and a sheen of cold sweat coating his brow. A good portion of the lab had been destroyed in the chaos; there were papers everywhere, littering the ground, and there were people still trying to organize the files that had fallen out of order. In the corner, near Nooroo’s desk, the ground was wet with the liquid from the cryotank and littered with the glass that had shattered when Adrien miraculously managed to break himself out.

“He... he woke up...” Nooroo said, eyes wide and not really staring at anything. He still couldn’t believe what he’d witnessed. “He was so strong, so _fast_... I’ve never... I’ve never seen anything like it... He jumped out the window, and he—”

“Find him.”

“What?” Nooroo blinked, and Gabriel came back into focus. His face was twisted into a snarl and he shrank back from his employer’s menacing stare.

“I said, find him! NOW!” Gabriel yelled, slamming his hand on a desk. “Even if I have to employ the entire goddamn military to do so, find him!”

“Y-yes, sir!” Nooroo squeaked and hurried off to try and figure out how to do just that.

Gabriel stood there, silently fuming. He had half a mind to flip the desk he was currently braced against, but the state of the disaster in this room was already too much for him to handle. He had been so close to getting more information from the chip... and now everything would be set back if not stopped altogether.

“You were getting cocky, Gabriel,” a voice said from the door, and Gabriel whirled around to see a familiar set of icy-grey eyes and blond hair.

“Felix,” Gabriel said with a forced calm, straightening up and adjusting his jacket. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“After hearing about the situation, I decided to make a house call,” Felix said, stepping into the room, his hands clasped behind his back. Gabriel narrowed his eyes; Felix looked far too relaxed and it was making him nervous. “What happened?”

 “Your guess is as good as mine,” Gabriel said. “He was... sedated, but somehow... woke up.”

“I see,” Felix said. “Am I to understand that you were about to start a procedure that would remove the chip?”

“No,” Gabriel said quickly and firmly, his eyes narrowing. “The chip wouldn’t have been removed. We were just looking to... get a closer look at it.”

Felix narrowed his eyes in Gabriel’s direction, looking like he didn’t believe him for a minute. With a sigh, he straightened up and said, “Well, that seemed to backfire, didn’t it?”

Gabriel shot Felix a nasty glare but didn’t say anything.

“What are you going to do?” Felix asked, his voice level.

“I’m working on it,” Gabriel said through gritted teeth.

“S-sir?” Nooroo’s voice squeaked from the other side of the room.

" _What_ , Nooroo?" Gabriel snapped.

"I-I believe I've l-located him, sir..."

Both men turned to look at the doctor in surprise.

“What?,” Gabriel said, pushing past Felix to see what Nooroo had found.

“For security, i-it was suggested that we outfit him with a-a tracking device,” Nooroo explained.“With this, we’ll be able to find him and b-bring him back.”

“Good work, Nooroo,” Gabriel said, the praise in his voice having a chilling effect. He straightened up and looked at Felix, who hung back a few feet, shooting him a smug grin. “See, Felix? Everything is completely… under control.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for this chapter taking so long! I had it all mapped out, but it became a little difficult to write due to a combination of life things that got in the way.
> 
> Also, I recently finished the amazingness that is Detroit: Become Human and some inspiration from that DEFINITELY found it's way into this.
> 
> I may also be working on a Detroit fanfiction now.
> 
> God, help me.
> 
> This one will still be my priority, however! We're at the first major turning point, and Phase II is beginning!


	11. - Sentimental S0UL -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marinette prepares for her party and gets a surprise...

“ _Are you sure you don’t need help tonight?_ ” Luka’s voice asked on the other end of the phone.

“I’ve already told you,” Marinette chuckled, balancing the receiver between her ear and shoulder as she mixed up the frosting she’d prepared for the cupcakes that were currently baking in the oven. “I’m perfectly fine! I’m going to go shopping for stuff soon, Alya’s coming over a little earlier to help me set up, Nino’s bringing the movies; all you need to do is bring yourself.”

“ _But you’re sure there’s nothing at all that you need me to bring?_ ” Luka pressed.

“I really think I have it covered,” Marinette said, smiling at how earnest Luka sounded.

“ _What if I brought drinks?_ ” He asked suddenly. “ _Maybe a bottle of wine, or something?_ ”

“You know what?” Marinette said, pausing to lick a bit of frosting off of her thumb as she set her spatula in the sink. “ _That_ is an excellent idea.”

“ _Good,_ ” Luka said with a chuckle. “ _I’m glad I could be of assistance._ ”

“Thank you for offering,” Marinette said honestly. She dried her hands on her apron and took the receiver in her hand again. “Now get back to your meeting! The last thing I want is for you to be delayed and not make it in time.”

“ _Okay, okay,_ ” Luka chuckled. “ _I’ll see you later._ ”

“See you later,” Marinette said with a soft giggle before she hung up the phone.

Once her hands were free, Marinette grabbed her piping bag and placed it in a cup before she spooned the frosting into it to make for easier clean up later. She then put it in the fridge to firm up a bit just as the oven dinged, signalling that the cupcakes were ready, and she pulled the pan out of the oven to set it on the cooling rack. After making a list of things she needed to pick up for the night, Marinette busied herself with tidying up the living room and making sure there were enough cosy blankets and pillows for those who wanted them; she knew Nino liked to snuggle things while he watched movies, but Alya wasn’t always in the mood to be cuddled. Once the living room was sufficiently clean and prepped, she went back to her now cool cupcakes and took them out of the pan before she grabbed the frosting from the fridge. Half an hour later, Marinette had a clean, cosy living room with a tray of beautifully decorated cupcakes ready to share. Now the only thing left was to finish her errands for the rest of the snacks.

“Be home soon, Tikki!” Marinette called as she grabbed her purse and keys, slipping into a pair of flats. She smoothed out the skirt of her white sundress, adjusting the straps in the mirror before she grabbed her purse and opened the door to head out into the city.

 

* * *

  **— 01101110 — 01100101 — 01111000 — 01110100 —  
**

* * *

It was as if the need to escape sparked a power in him that he didn’t know was there. As he ran from the large house he’d woken up in, his mind was preoccupied with two things:

**  
\- objectives: -  
\- get to safety -  
\- find the Princess in the white dress -**

 

The first, however, was proving to be difficult...

Despite the fact that he had opted to lay low, skirting along alleyways without being seen by anyone, soldiers seemed to dog him wherever he went. Every which way he turned, there was another cluster of them, all dressed casually, but he could see the way they seemed too tense to be civilians, their hands kept close to their hips as they palmed the handles of their guns. He watched a small group of them wandering around from the safety of an alleyway, peering around the corner as he tried to calculate a route to safety, but the simulations he tried to run in his mind all ended up in failure.

**  
\- simulation: failed -  
\- probability of success: 10% -  
\- path: blocked -  
  
**

‘ _Dammit…’_ he thought.

He ducked out of sight as one of the officers dressed in civilian clothes turned around to say something into a radio, narrowly mission detection and he pressed his back against the brick wall of the alley as the soldier walked passed with a few comrades, holding his breath to make sure he wouldn’t make a sound.

He exhaled in relief when they continued walking past without seeing him and as soon as he felt that moment of peace, he was suddenly aware of how tired he was, how physically and emotionally drained. He'd been running for so long…

No. He couldn’t stop yet. He had to find her.

He ducked his head out of the alley just enough to see if the coast was clear, and it was. He kept close to the wall, glad that there weren’t any people around and started to creep along the side street. As he got a little closer to the next alleyway, however, he heard voices up ahead in the distance.

“He’s gotta be around here _somewhere_!” Someone yelled in annoyance. “Why the hell was he even outfitted with a tracker if it’s not even going to _fucking_ work!”

The words stopped him dead in his track and alarm bells began to go off in his head.  
  


**\- warning: enemies in pursuit -  
  
**

He quickly assessed his surrounding again, noting that the person’s footsteps were heading in his direction, and he surmised that the safest curse of action was to duck back down the alley he had already been. He all but ran as fast as he could, slipping into the alleyway and crouching behind a dumpster, holding his breath as a few minutes later, more soldiers outfitted in their military gear walked passed.

“Keep looking,” a different voice called. “He’s on the move and he’s fast, so be ready. The tracker isn’t as precise we’d like, but at least we know he’s in this general area.”

He gritted his teeth as he ducked down behind the dumpster and wracked his brain for a solution to get out of this. He hadn’t even thought that he might be outfitted with a tracker. That explained why the guards were literally _everywhere_ he went. This was a serious problem.

He was starting to lose hope. He’d never be able to find his Princess like this… with a sigh, he dropped his head into his hands, running his fingers through his hair and breathed deeply, trying to calm himself.

It was then he noticed the beeping.

It was very faint, almost as if it were a trick of his mind, but as he focused, the more noticeable it became. It was close, and he lifted his head to look around for it and eventually realized it was coming from _him_ ; he hadn’t noticed it during the rush of his escape. He checked his body, feeling at the back of his neck for any bumps, smoothing his hands down his shoulders and arms until he noticed a small black mark on his inner forearm near the crook of his elbow. Upon closer inspection, he could see that it was a tattoo in the shape of a small black butterfly. He ducked his ear as close to the mark as he could and the beeping grew louder and after running a thumb over the mark, he could feel the paint pressure of something small and hard just under the surface of his skin.

**  
\- tracking device located -  
\- attempting extraction -  
  
**

He glanced around the dumpster to make sure no one was coming and that he was hidden enough from view. He glanced around his surrounding to see if he could find something, anything, and was glad to find a shard of a shattered mirror laying on the ground. He found a particularly sharp piece and, with a deep breath to steel himself, he pressed the gland to his skin next to the mark, hissing through his teeth as it drew blood.

 

* * *

**— 01101110 — 01100101 — 01111000 — 01110100 —  
**

* * *

Marinette’s errands had put her a little bit behind schedule.

She hadn’t meant to spend so much time in the fabric store looking for just the right shade of lilac for the new dress she wanted to make, but being amongst all the bolts of fabric and feeling the textures caused her to lose track of time. After she’d found the cut of fabric she wanted and paid for it, she realized how long she had been in there and made a mad dash to the nearest convenience store. She hurried down the aisles, grabbing things like chips and dip as well as an assortment of bread and cheeses. She mentally cursed herself for not asking Luka what kind of wine he was planning on bringing, but she didn’t have time to worry too much about it now.

Marinette quickly paid for her things and called a quick “Thank you, goodbye!” to the cashier as she hurried out the door.

 

* * *

**— 01101110 — 01100101 — 01111000 — 01110100 —  
**

* * *

It hurt like hell.

The tracker was embedded farther in his skin than he initially thought and he was forced to dig the shard of glass in deeper and deeper to try and get it out. He hissed through his teeth, stifling a groan as he finally seemed to get reach it, the beeping louder now that it wasn’t hidden by layers of skin.

He dropped the shard of glass and used his fingers to pry the tracker out of his arm, ignoring the gush of blood that was dripping onto the ground. Once his fingertips finally managed to close over the tiny piece of technology he pulled it out and looked at it before tossing it into the dumpster next to him,

They thought he was in this area? Well, he’d make them think he _stayed_ in this area.

Holding his arm where he’d dug into it with the glass, he tried to put pressure on the self-inflicted wound to staunch to flow of blood. Maybe he’d been a little too haphazard trying to get it out… he was beginning to feel a little light headed.

He couldn’t stay here, though. It was too dangerous.

Forcing himself to his feet, he braced his hand against the wall of the alley to keep himself steady and started to head in a different direction from the soldiers he knew were still hanging around. He continued to stick to side streets and alleys to get as far away from them as possible.

**\- objectives: -  
\- get to safety -  
\- find the Princess in the white dress -**

  
He hoped he actually managed to finish the first objective so he could complete the most important one.

 

* * *

**— 01101110 — 01100101 — 01111000 — 01110100 —  
**

* * *

She had about 20 minutes to spare before everyone started heading over. Alya was going to get there first, and then Nino had promised to pick up Luka as soon as the meeting with his band manager was done. She’d have time to get the snacks out with Alya’s help and everything would work out.

She just had to get home in the next 10 minutes in order to make that happen.

Marinette opted to take a shortcut, cutting through some of the side streets that she knew she probably shouldn’t take on her own, but the last thing she wanted was to be late to her own party that she was hosting. Again.

However, it seemed as if Marinette was blessed and that blessing came in the form of a phone call from Alya.

“Hi, Alya!” Marinette said a little breathlessly, adjusting her shopping bags. “I’m just on my way home now; I just finished picking up snacks! I’ll be there right away! I won’t be late this time, I promise!”

“ _Actually, Marinette_ ,” Alya said a little forlornly on the phone. “ _I was calling to let you know that_ I _would be late._ ”

“Huh?” Marinette paused in her tracks, her heart sinking a bit. “Is everything okay? Do we need to cancel?”

“ _No, no, we don’t need to cancel!_ ” Alya said quickly. “ _Are you kidding? I’ve been looking forward to this all week! I just got a little tied up with something at work, so instead of being able to help you set up, Nino’s going to pick me up after he gets Luka. We won’t be there for another forty-five minutes or so.”_

_“_ Oh,” Marinette answered brightly. “Actually, that works out perfectly! I spent a little longer in the fabric store than I meant to, and I still have to put the snacks out and—”

She stopped mid-sentence when she heard something in the alley next to her; like a thud and some rustling. She kept the phone to her ear, staring into the dark depth of the alley, her heart starting to race as she searched for any sign of what had made the noise.

“ _Marinette?”_ Alya asked with a note of worry in her voice. “ _Are you okay?”_

_“_ Yeah,” Marinette said absently before she shook her head and focused her attention back to her phone as she set her bags down to give her hand a break. “I’m just walking by an alley and thought I heard something; probably a cat.”

“ _Well, when you get home, text me so I know you’re safe,”_ Alya said.

Marinette laughed. “Yes, Mom.”

“ _I feel bad I can’t be there to help you set up,”_ Alya continued sadly. “ _Are you sure you’ll be able to handle it?”_

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Marinette said, stooping down to grab her bags as she adjusted the phone against her ear. “I did most of the prep work earlier, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”

She was about to step forward to just keep walking to head home when another noise in the alley caught her attention again. Alya kept talking into the phone, but Marinette wasn’t paying attention and she could have sworn she heard a soft groan; it sounded like someone was in pain.

 “Alya,” she said into the phone, cutting off her friend. “Sorry, I... I’ll call you back in a bit, okay? These bags are heavy.”

“ _Okay, no problem,”_ Alya said brightly. “ _See you soon, girl!”_

“See you soon,” Marinette replied before she hung up, but kept her phone in her hand, ready to push call on 112 if she needed to. She put her bags down again, adjusting the strap of her purse over her shoulder as she squared her shoulders and crept slowly and carefully into the alley.

As she crept, she heard was sounded like heavy breathing, as if someone was trying to breathe through the pain. She glanced around and noticed a smeared handprint on the wall that looked like… _blood?_ Marinette looked around and noticed a trail of blood droplets leading into the darker recesses of the alley, and again, she heard a faint hiss of pain.

“Hello?” She called tentatively.

Marinette heard a sharp intake of breath and the flurry of movement from a scrambling body suddenly jumping up from the ground. She startled, taking a step back with a yelp and was about to run before something made her pause. Standing in front of her was a boy about her age with golden hair and the most mesmerizing green eyes she’d ever seen in her life; they almost seemed to glow. She took in his face, noting his handsome features - straight nose, sharp jawline, smooth chin... but it was his expression that had made her stop. While he had initially looked defensive, his face set into a snarl, his expression relaxed to one of... shock? Surprise? Recognition?

Time seemed to stand still as they stared at each other. She gazed at him in all his ethereal beauty, his eyes boring into her very soul as if he could see into her core. A twinge of recognition was nagging at the back of her mind, somewhere that she couldn’t place. She feel like she may have met him once, a long time ago. Where had she seen him before?

“Princess...” he breathed, so softly that she wasn’t sure if she’d actually heard it.  

And then he collapsed to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, look! They're in the same time and space now! :D
> 
> Also, for anyone wondering, '112' is like the Paris equivalent of '911'.


	12. - Gentle S0UL -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marinette somehow manages to lift someone twice her height...

Marinette watched rather numbly as the boy’s body hit the ground with an unceremonious ‘ _thunk’;_ it probably would have been funny if the whole situation weren’t so alarming. As soon as he face-planted into the concrete in front of her, she yelped and jumped back, glancing around to see if anyone was around to witness this. She was alone.

Just her and this strange, beautiful boy. 

She stood there, staring at his prone form, clutching a hand to her heart as she contemplated what to do. Should she just leave him? Should she call the police? Take him to a hospital? But he would wake up alone and scared, she thought. It looked like he’d been running for a while and he was dressed in nothing but a pair of blue jeans. That weird nagging sensation at the back of her mind was still there, begging to be let in, and she struggled to understand why this boy was so familiar. Then it hit her:

He looked just like the photo she saw of Adrien Agreste.

“Could it be…?” Marinette murmured aloud to herself. Then she scoffed at her own thought and waved her hand. “No! It couldn’t be!”

Could it, though? She peered at him again, nibbling nervously on her lip. He _was_ the spitting image… older, definitely, but… they looked nearly identical. What if he _was_ Adrien Agreste?

Despite his well-defined muscles and sculpted form (that she had to remind herself not to stare at too long, her face flushing) she noticed how _thin_ he looked and how roughed up he seemed. She noticed a bloody mark on his shoulder, small scrapes along his arms, his hands were a little bloody… it was then she realized he had a huge gashing his forearm that was still weeping with blood and she took a sharp intake of breath at the sight of it. He was wounded pretty badly…

Maybe she should… take him home and try and feed him something? Patch him up, give him a place to rest?

“Marinette, what are you thinking?” She said aloud to herself, but the sight of the poor boy collapsed on the ground made her heart ache. She knew it was risky, essentially bringing a stranger into her house, but… she couldn’t just _leave_ him here… And something was telling her that taking him home was a better idea that taking him the hospital or calling the police. How would she even explain begin to explain that the ghost of Adrien Agreste was actually alive?

“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I…?” she sighed to herself as she stood down and tried to lift the boy’s body.

Okay, he may have looked thin, but he _definitely_ wasn’t light.

Somehow, by a miraculous show of strength, Marinette managed to get his uninjured arm around her shoulder and hoisted him up. She wasn’t too far away from home, but she knew dragging him there was going to be difficult…

As she adjusted his weight, trying to manage her grocery bags at the same time, he came to and tried to stand up fully on his own, and she had to brace herself against his weight as he stumbled.

“Hey, it’s okay,” she said, tightening her grip around his waist. “I’m going to get you to safety; can you walk?”

He didn’t respond. Instead, he took some of his weight off of her, though he was still leaning heavily, and managed to keep upright on his feet. Once she was sure he wasn’t going to fall again, Marinette quickly grabbed her grocery bags and guided him along to her apartment.

She was grateful her parents were away; explaining to them that she had a bloodied, half-dressed stranger with her that looked like the dead son of the elusive Gabriel Agreste would have been too difficult. The boy managed to stay upright long enough for her to grab her keys and guide him up the stairs into the apartment, but she noticed he was beginning to fade in and out of consciousness.

“We’re almost there,” she huffed as she slotted the keys into the door at the top of the stairs. “Stay with me, okay?”

He groaned in response, and she just managed to get the door open and pull him inside before he slumped against her. Marinette nearly lost her balance, his weight against her causing the door to slam loudly and the bag of groceries to drop out of her hand. At least she managed to get him inside.

“Okay…” Marinette huffed, steeling herself. She grunted as she hauled him passed the kitchen and down the hallway. “Let’s get you… to the… _bedroom_.”

She somehow managed to get him into the spare room without dripping too much blood on the hardwood floor. A disinfectant wipe would get that right away, but for now, her priority was getting him into bed and tending to his wound. Marinette dragged him over to the bed and flopped him down onto it, his body settling like a deadweight on the mattress.

He was completely out.

She huffed as she wiped her hand across her forehead, hoping he was comfortable enough being sprawled out like this, but she didn’t think she’d be able to move him much more. She lifted his head and adjusted the pillow so that his neck was supported and finally took the time to have a good look at him.

He was… _beautiful_. His face was almost perfect, aside from a freckle here and there that only added to his beauty, his expression serene as he slept. She brushed his golden blonde hair back from his forehead, picking out a few leaves and pieces of debris before she checked his temperature with the back of her hand. He didn’t seem to have a fever, which was good… Marinette’s gaze travelled the length of his form, noting that his clothes, just a simple pair of dark jeans, were dirty and spotted with little bits of blood and dirt. She made a mental note to grab some spare clothes for him from her father’s stash. Marinette also caught sight of the chain around his neck with a set of dog-tags and she reached for them, lifting them close as she read:

 

**_A.A._ **

**_“CHAT NOIR”_ **

 

 “Chat Noir…?” She murmured before she glanced back at his sleeping face. “Is that your name?”

A strange name for a strange boy, she mused.

Marinette then turned back to the task at hand, observing the deep gash on his left forearm and she took a closer look at it with a furrowed brow before she ducked out the room and ran to the bathroom across the hall to grab the first aid kit. She rummaged around under the sink for the roll of gauze and antiseptic that she knew was laying around somewhere, and also grabbed a warm damp facecloth for good measure. By the time she came back, Marinette stopped short at the sight of Tikki getting herself comfortable on the pillow next to the boy’s head, tucking herself into a loaf position. Tikki was personable, sure, but it usually took her a while to warm up to people; this was unlike her.

“Tikki, what are you doing?” Marinette said as she approached the bed. Tikki chirped at her in response and Marinette could hear a faint purr coming rumbling from her chest. Marinette’s brows shot up in surprise at her behaviour, but she supposed she wasn’t doing any harm; she let Tikki sit there as she sat on the edge of the bed to start tending to the boy’s arm.

She first took the warm washcloth and began to wipe away the dried blood from his forearm. It scrubbed away easily, but she knew he would need a full shower or bath to get rid of the rest of it. When she felt he was sufficiently clean for the time being, she grabbed a cotton pad and tipped some of the antiseptic onto it, and gently pressed it to the boy’s arm. As soon as it made contact, however, the boy’s eyes suddenly snapped open and he shot up, wide awake, and grabbed her wrist. His sudden movement sent Tikki scrambling off the pillow to the edge of the mattress to observe what was happening and caused Marinette to jump, but she rested a hand on his shoulder to soothe him as he glanced around the room wildly.

“It’s okay!” She said, gently guiding him back down into the mattress. “Hey, it’s okay; I’m here to help you.”

His eyes were wide and frantic, his breathing laboured, but as soon as he saw her, he exhaled deeply, all signs of stress seeming to leave his body in an instant. His eyes softened, a sense of familiarity behind them as he relaxed back into the pillow, gazing at her with a look of such awe and wonderment that she felt her heart quicken.

“Princess...” he breathed softly, his voice barely audible. That’s right; he’d called her that back in the alleyway, as well. He relaxed his hold on her wrist and reached up to tentatively stroke at a strand of hair next to her cheek, brushing it away from her face as if he couldn’t believe that she was real.

Marinette blushed, but reached up to take his hand to pull it away from her face, willing her heart to not beat itself out of her chest. What was the _matter with her?_

“I’m just taking care of your wound, okay?” Marinette told the boy in a calm voice. “You don’t have to worry.”

He barely gave a nod before he seemed to slip back off into sleep again, his head lolling to the side. Marinette released the breath she didn’t realize she was holding and turned back to his arm again. She wiped at it with the antiseptic, placing a piece of thick gauze over the wound that she saw was much deeper than she initially thought before she wrapped it with a bandage to keep some extra pressure on it. She’d have to keep an eye on that to make sure it didn’t get infected…

As she worked, Tikki had wandered back over to the pillow and took her place next to the boy’s head again, her purring louder than ever, and Marinette had the strangest feeling that she was trying to comfort the boy. She put her first aid supplies away and grabbed a spare blanket to drape over the boy’s sleeping form, pausing again to simply look at him.

She was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts as a loud knock sounded at the door.

“ _Crap!_ ” Marinette cursed, scrambling with all of her supplies. She left the first-aid things on the dresser in the spare room and grabbed a blanket to drape over the boy’s sleeping frame, ignoring Tikki’s grunt of displeasure as the blanket hit her in the face. She hurried out of the room and into the hall, closing the door behind her carefully and leaving it open a crack so that Tikki would be able to come and go at her leisure and quickly grabbed a disinfectant wipe to wipe the spots of blood that had landed on the hardwood.

There was another knock at the door.

“Marinette?” Alya’s voice called from the other side. “Are you home?”

“Just a second!” Marinette called, scrubbing a little more furiously at a particularly stubborn spot. Once she was sure she got them all, but she grabbed the grocery bags, hoping the chips weren’t _too_ squished and rushed into the kitchen to put the bags down before sprinting to the door. She yanked it open and see Alya, Nino and Luka, with Alya’s arm poised to knock again.

“Hi!” Marinette said rather breathlessly, leaning against the door frame in what she hoped was a casual manner.

“You okay?” Alya asked slowly, quirking a brow in her best friend’s direction.

“You’re all out of breath,” Nino pointed out.

“Heavy grocery bags,” Marinette fibbed quickly, gesturing back into the house. “I just managed to get home.”

“Really?” Nino asked. “That’s weird, we didn’t see you walking.”

“Decided to take a different route,” Marinette said before she stepped aside. “Come on in!”

“What did you get for snacks?” Alya asked as she made a beeline straight for the kitchen and started to go through the grocery bags. She was dressed in comfortable clothes for the movie, her hair pulled back into a messy bun and she groaned in contentment as she looked at Marinette’s cupcakes that were displayed proudly on the counter. “Are those my favourite vanilla cupcakes with strawberry buttercream?”

“What else?” Marinette said before she turned to greet Luka, who had been lurking in the background. She smiled as he stooped down to press a kiss to her lips and when he pulled back after lingering a moment, she murmured, “Hi.”

“Hi,” he answered in response before giving her another quick kiss. “I’m glad to see you.”

“I’m glad to see _you,”_ she said as she closed the door behind him.

Luka presented her with a bottle of wine, which Marinette took gratefully, giving him a kiss on the cheek before she made her way into the kitchen to stop Alya from eating all the cupcakes.

“Are we ready to get our movie on, guys and gals?” Nino said as he plopped himself on the couch and started pulling various DVDs out of his bag. “I brought some classics, some art flicks, some horror flicks—”

“No horror movie,” Marinette said quickly as she pulled down some wine glasses from the cupboard. “I _hate_ horror movies.”

“Don’t worry,” Luka said, giving her a wink as he helped her with the bottle of wine. “I’d protect you.”

“Can we do a comedy?” Alya asked, sinking her teeth into another cupcake. “I need it after the day I had at work today.”

“We can do a comedy,” Nino said, rummaging through his bag again. “Let me see what I have…”

They settled on a quirky comedy about a guy who convinces a girl to date him, but only under the condition that he defeats all of her evil exes. Nino, Alya and Luka were enjoying the movie immensely, laughing and cheering in all the right spots, but Marinette was incredibly distracted. Despite the fact that she was leaning into Luka’s side, his fingers laced with hers under their shared blanket, her mind kept wandering to the boy who was still asleep in the spare room. Part of her was worried he would wake up and hear their antics… he _had_ been very tired, though; maybe he’d sleep through the entire ni—

“You okay?” Luka asked softly in her ear, pulling her abruptly from her thoughts. “You keep glancing down the hallway.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Marinette said, offering him a smile. “I just… haven’t seen Tikki for a bit; I think she might be hiding in the spare bedroom.”

“She’s probably just sleeping,” Alya said, munching happily on some chips. 

“Yeah,” Marinette agreed absently as she tried to focus on the movie. “You’re probably right.”

 

* * *

**— 01101110 — 01100101 — 01111000 — 01110100 —  
**

* * *

By the time the movie finished, Marinette was a bundle of nerves. She hadn’t checked on the boy in the spare room for _hours,_ but she wasn’t sure what she was so nervous about. He hadn’t made a sound throughout the whole movie, and even Tikki had come out of the room leisurely to eat her dinner before she wandered back in; surely she’d run and make a noise if he abruptly woke up again, right?

Oh. So _that’s_ what she was nervous about.

Being alone in her house with a stranger sleeping in her spare room.

That sounded like a recipe for disaster.

“Hey Alya,” Marinette said in what she hoped was a casual tone of voice as she put the rest of the uneaten cupcakes into a container. “You know what we haven’t done in a while? Had a sleepover.”

“You’re right,” Alya said wistfully, wrapping up the uneaten portions of cheese and thinking back to the last time she and Marinette had had just a girls night. “We’ll have to plan that soon.”

“How about tonight?” Marinette said, glancing over her shoulder at the boys who were chatting music things in the living room. “Luka has an early band practice tomorrow, so he won’t be staying; no time like the present.”

“Sorry, Marinette,” Alya said with a frown. “I already promised Nino I’d stay at his place tonight. It’s… been a while, you know?”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Marinette grumbled. She loved Alya but definitely didn’t want to hear about her _sexcapades_ with Nino.

“I’m sorry, girl,” Alya said honestly, resting a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll plan for one soon, okay? We’re in serious need of a girls’ night.”

“It’s okay,” Marinette said, trying not to let herself feel too disappointed. “I wouldn’t want to get in between you two.”

“I should probably head home,” Luka said, standing up and stretching his arms above his head. “I have an early start and I want to be sharp for practice.”

“Let me drop you off,” Nino said as he zipped up his bag, his movies safely stored inside. “It’s on the way.”

“I don’t want to impose…” Luka said slowly.

“Don’t worry about it, dude, it’s no trouble,” Nino waved a hand before he called to Alya from the couch, “You almost ready to go, babe?”

“Almost!” Alya replied. She glanced at Marinette and said, “I’ll let you know tomorrow about having a girls’ night next weekend?”

“Sound good,” Marinette said as she walked her friends to the door. “Text me when you get home okay?”

“Of course,” Alya said, pulling her best friend into a hug.

“Thanks for hosting, Marinette,” Nino said, pulling her into a friendly embrace. “We’ll have to do it again sometime!”

“Definitely,” Marinette answered with a girl before she turned to Luka, who pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her head.

“‘Night, Marinette,” he said softly. Marinette craned her head up and puckered her lips and he chuckled and gave her a soft kiss before he pulled away. “Thanks for having us.”

“Literally any time,” she said. “Get home safely, okay guys?”

“I’ll take good care of them!” Nino boasted as they all piled out of the door.

Marinette waved them off, making sure they made it down the stairs and outside okay before she closed the door behind her and locked it. Suddenly, being alone, the house seemed to quiet, and she realized that she was just nervous and jumpy because of the unexpected guest in the spare room.

She tried to go about her normal nighttime routine, changing into her pyjamas and brushing her teeth, but she still found that she kept glancing apprehensively at the spare room door. Once she’d spit and rinsed her mouth free to toothpaste, she tentatively peered into the spare room and found that the boy was still sound asleep and hadn’t moved at all; the only indication he was alive at all was the rise and fall of his chest. Tikki had moved from next to his head to curl up at his side.

Still… she wasn’t sure how she felt about being alone with him. She decided that she would try and stay awake for the rest of the night and be ready in case he woke up. She turned the TV on again and kept it low as she flicked through channels, landing on a random movie. She curled up on the couch with a blanket, tucking herself into the corner facing the hallway so she’d be able to see him coming and absently watched the movie without even really watching it. Eventually, her eyes started to get heavy and she kept yawning and leaned her head back against a cushion to get comfortable.

At some point in the middle of the film, she fell fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, they were watching Scott Pilgrim. :D


	13. - Familiar S0UL -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marinette finds a name for her strange house guest...

At some point around seven in the morning, Marinette woke up from the sun streaming in through the windows of the living room. She squinted her eyes against the offensive light and groaned, pulling the throw blanket she had draped on herself up and over her head. Once she was comfortable, she sighed contentedly, getting ready to fall back asleep as her mind sleepily wandered to the reason why she had fallen asleep on the couch in the first place.

Marinette flailed from the couch in a flurry of blankets and pillows and landed with a soft thud on the hardwood floor before she scrambled to her feet, adjusting her pyjama pants as she slid down the hallway to the spare room.

The room was still slightly ajar.

It was still dark in there.

She peered into the room cautiously to see if she had dreamt it all, but her breath caught when she saw the boy still sleeping on the bed, still sprawled on his back and looking like an angel. Her heart pounded in her chest as she flattened herself against the wall next to the door, taking a deep breath.

“Okay,” she murmured aloud to herself. “So… definitely wasn’t a dream. He’s still here. He’s still asleep. This is fine. I can work with this. It’s fine. It’s all fine.”

Marinette paused and peered into the room again, noticing that Tikki was still asleep on the pillow next to the boy’s head and she frowned slightly. _Traitor_. But still… the boy probably needed _some_ form of comfort…

She nervously chewed her thumbnail as she thought about what to do; she didn’t want to wake him up, especially since he was still sounded asleep, so he obviously needed it… she couldn’t even imagine what he’d been through to get all those scratches and cuts…

A small meow from the bedroom caught Marinette’s attention and Tikki had lifted her head from the pillow and gave a huge yawn, arching her back in a stretch before she walked to the end of the bed and hopped onto the floor. As she walked out of the door, she looked up at Marinette and meowed again, and she smiled softly and scooped the small cat up into her arms.

“Are you hungry, Tikki?” She asked softly, scritching her behind the ears. Tikki closed her big blue eyes and instantly started to purr. “Let’s go make some breakfast, hm?”

Marinette took once last look into the room to see the boy shift slightly in his sleep with a sigh and she gently set Tikki down on the floor. She pulled the door closed again, leaving it open just a crack and headed into the kitchen, Tikki chirping at her heels.

 

* * *

**— 01101110 — 01100101 — 01111000 — 01110100 —  
**

* * *

 

The sound of pots being moved around and the smell of breakfast sausages sizzling in the kitchen gently pulled him out of his sleep. He opened his eyes slowly, carefully surveying the room he was in and realized he didn’t recognize it. For a second, he started to panic at being in an unfamiliar place, but a memory sparked in his mind.  
  


_… A girl in a white dress… she helped him to his feet, carried him down the street…_

_“I’m going to get you to safety,” she said…_   
  


That’s right. It had been his Princess. She’d saved him.

He pushed himself up into a sitting position, wincing slightly at the pain in his shoulder and arm. He glanced down at the place he had found the tracker under his skin and noticed the white bandage wrapped around his forearm. It stung slightly, but it looked like she had patched him up.

Right. He had woken up and she coaxed him back to sleep. He pressed his hand to his head, a headache forming behind his eye as he tried to sift through the events that had happened over the last few hours.

Or was it days? How long had he been here for? How long had he been out?

The soft sound of humming from the kitchen drew him out of his thoughts and he glanced up in the direction of the door. His heart leapt in his throat as he realized it was _her._ Somehow, despite all odds, he had run right into her.

He was at her _house_.

Carefully pulling the blanket that had pooled in his lap off of him, he gingerly got up off the bed, taking his time. His head was swimming slightly, he leaned heavily against the door frame with his arm and slowly ventured down the hallway, using the wall to help keep himself steady. As he rounded the corner, the open concept kitchen and living room coming into view, his breath caught when he saw her.

She was dressed in a pair of white cotton pyjama pants and a pink tank top, her dark hair pulled into a messy bun. She wore an apron as she sizzled sausages and fried eggs, humming to herself all the while. He could hardly believe that she was real… that he was here with her, in real life and not just in his dreams. Without thinking, he tentatively stepped into the kitchen to approach her just as she turned around and the moment her eyes landed on him she yelled in alarm, throwing the spatula in her hands. He managed to stop and catch it easily and they simply stared at each other for a long time before she broke the silence.

“You’re awake!” She said, suddenly looking very frazzled. “I didn’t hear you.. come in… I’m so sorry, did I wake you?”

He shook his head slowly and handed the spatula out to her, still in awe that he was seeing her in the flesh. Her eyes looked just like they had in his dream and he could have sworn that he saw them somewhere else before… he just couldn’t place where. But what really stood out to him was just how _beautiful_ she was; rosy cheeks, freckles lightly dotting across the bridge of her nose, soft, full lips…

“Um…” she said, awkwardly scratching the back of her neck as she took the spatula from his hand. “Thanks. I uh… are you hungry? I made breakfast.”

“Thank you,” he said softly, his voice a little hoarse. “Princess…”

“Uh,” she chuckled a little nervously. “You don’t have to call me that, you know. My name is Marinette.”

“Marinette,” he repeated. The name suited her; it was sweet and elegant, just as she was.

She simply stood there and looked at him for a moment, looking a little confused about something before the sound of a sausage popping in the frying pan startled her out of her thoughts and she quickly turned to the stove, using the spatula to serve a few sausages and eggs on two plates with toast. Marinette took both plates in her hands and turned around to see him simply standing there, so she used her head to gesture to the small dining room table.

“Would you like to come sit?”

He sat down at the place she had set for him and gingerly picked up a fork to spear one of the sausages on the plate and took a delicate bite. The flavours burst in his mouth, making him salivate, and he didn’t realize just how hungry he had been. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten. He jumped into his meal without hesitating.

Marinette watched him eat with an almost ravenous hunger, her heart sinking a bit. How long had it been since he’d had a good meal? Her heart went out to him, and when he caught her eye with an almost sheepish look, she gave him a reassuring smile and offered the remainder of her plate to him, still full with eggs and sausage.

“It’s okay,” she said when he was about to protest. “Help yourself to whatever you’d like; I can go make more.”

“Thank you,” he said earnestly before he tentatively took her plate, though he picked at it with less intensity as he did his own.

Marinette hesitated, fiddling with her napkin in her lap before she glanced up at him and asked, “So… what happened to you?”

The boy stopped eating and looking down at his plate as he swallowed thoughtfully. He sifted through his memories, thinking back over the last twenty-four hours. He took so long to answer that Marinette was worried she’d overstepped a boundary and was about to apologize, but he opened his mouth to speak.

“I’m not… really sure,” he said, glancing up at her. “I woke up in this… strange place… there were lots of doctors and soldiers… I escaped out of a window… and I ran.”

“How did you get there?” Marinette asked softly.

“I don’t know,” the boy answered, running his hand through his hair as he thought hard about it. “I feel like I was there for a long time. I was… asleep for a while, but I…”

He suddenly stopped and looked at her, as if he was seeing her for the first time. Marinette felt her face flush a little bit, taken aback by the look of pure awe and tenderness in his eyes as if she was the most amazing thing in the world before he looked away. She had a feeling he had more to say, but she didn’t want to pry if he wasn’t ready.

“You woke up and escaped?” Marinette offered.

“Yeah,” he answered, meeting her gaze again. “And then you found me.”

“Do you… know your name?” Marinette asked tentatively after a moment. “I’d like to have something to call you.”

He seemed to frown as he thought about it, glancing down at his plate again before he shook his head, looking defeated.

“Your tags say ‘ _Chat Noir’_ ,” Marinette pointed out, gesturing to the tags, and he looked down at them, lifting them to his face to read. She was about to ask what it was about before he wrinkled his nose.

“I… it doesn’t feel familiar,” he said, dropping the tags. “I don’t know what my name is.”

“Well, maybe we can find you a slightly more… normal name,” Marinette suggested in what she hoped was a light tone. “What do you think?”

He thought about it for a second before he offered her a small smile and nodded.

“Great!” She said brightly before she wracked her brain for names. “Um… how about… David?”

He frowned slightly before he shook his head.

“Nah, too generic,” Marinette mused. “How about… Richard?”

The boy wrinkled his nose. “That sounds too….”

“Stuffy?” Marinette finished for him.

“Yeah,” he agreed, glad that she found the word he’d been looking for.

Marinette sat and observed him for a moment, biting her lip as she took in his face. She thought back to what she thought when she first saw him; just how much he looked like the young boy from the news article she’d seen earlier that week. Logically, it couldn’t be possible… but the resemblance was uncanny. She figured she’d try her luck.  
  
“How about… Adrien?” She asked tentatively.

His head snapped up to meet her gaze, his green eyes filled with recognition. He blinked, realizing he reacted to the name so strongly. Marinette could hardly breathe. Could it really be that this boy really was Adrien Agreste?

“Does… does that work?” She asked, realizing he hadn’t said anything.

“Adrien…” he muttered to himself, testing the name. “Adrien… it feels… familiar.”

“Do you think that’s your name?” Marinette ventured carefully, hopefully.

“I… I’m not sure,” he said. “But it feels… it fits.”

“Okay then,” Marinette said with a smile. “That’s what we’ll call you; Adrien.”

He smiled at her, a gentle smile that warmed Marinette all the way down to her toes. They simply gazed at each other for a moment before she caught her breath and looked away.

“So!” She said loudly, hopping up from the table and reaching forward to grab the plates. “Adrien! Um… is there anything you want to do today? Anywhere you want to see?”

“I don’t know,” he said honestly, also standing up. He picked up the cutlery that had been left on the table, following her lead into the kitchen. “I… don’t really know where there is _to_ do.”

“Well, we can… go to the park, or go to a museum, or we can just stay here and play video games or something?” Marinette was scrambling, trying to find something to do. She turned around and nearly collided with his bare chest as he brought the cutlery over and she blushed furiously at the sight of his abs in her face. Using all of her mental strength, she gently brought her hands up to his chest to coax him to back up a bit, pulling her hands way with great difficulty. He gave her a kind of sheepish look as he handed her the cutlery.

“On second thought,” she said, looking at her feet so she wouldn’t stare at his chest as she allowed him to drop the utensils in her hand. “We should probably go get you some new clothes.”

 

* * *

**— 01101110 — 01100101 — 01111000 — 01110100 —  
**

* * *

Nooroo jumped out of his skin as he heard something slam loudly in the distance, suppressing the yelp that he felt build up in his throat. He turned to face the large doors of the lab, his heart pounding, waiting for something to burst through them at any minute… but there was nothing. He exhaled deeply, feeling slightly relieved, but he knew that that slam could only mean one thing;

Mr Agreste was furious.

Though, when wasn’t he these days? With Adrien missing, it had been nothing but round-the-clock recon, trying to relocate him and Nooroo knew that his nerves were frayed. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep doing this and he silently prayed for strength as he shakily pulled a handkerchief from the pocket of his lab coat to wipe the sweat from his forehead before trying to focus on the task at hand.

Despite their largest asset being gone, Gabriel still expected them to complete MiracuS0UL 2.0 for his wife. Nooroo had tried to explain that without Adrien present and therefore without the chip available to scan, recreating the coding would be difficult. Nooroo knew the basics and was able to recreate his own version of the code easily, but the parts that Dr Fu had added in, the part that _made_ it what it was, were things he could never hope to recreate… and with him dead…

Nooroo had been sure there was something in the files that Gabriel had taken from GuardTech, and he had been pouring over them since the majority of the chaos surrounding Adrien’s escape died down. Most of the files had been written in Chinese, but Gabriel had managed to secure a translator who had done a bang-up job of switching everything over into French. For the most part, Nooroo found it fairly easy to follow.

Too easy.

While had initially felt very positive in his ability to recreate the code, the speed at which he was going through it started to concern him, and Nooroo stopped to think about it. If there was anything he knew about Dr Fu it was that he was a master… and a master didn’t give up their secrets so easily.

He had encrypted it.

Nooroo sighed as he dropped the file, pulling his glasses from his face to rub at his eyes in distress. More bad news and it all just seemed to keep piling up… He dreaded the conversation he knew he needed to have with Gabriel.

This would take _weeks_ to decipher.

He didn’t think he had that long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shirtless Adrien.
> 
> You're welcome, ladies.


End file.
